WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), chairman and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Aviation and Space, on Wednesday sent a letter to Vice President Pence and members of the coronavirus task force urging them to implement a single online webform that would allow the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to directly collect complete, accurate, and timely data to trace infected or exposed travelers.
In the letter, they wrote:
“As the situation continues to evolve and individuals enter and travel throughout the country, we must collect information in a reliable manner so that we may accurately and clearly communicate with the public.”
Their letter follows their subcommittee hearing last week, where Senators examined the role of the aviation industry in reducing the spread of coronavirus, and heard from officials from the Department of Transportation (DOT), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the U.S.’ next steps.
Read the full text of the Senators’ letter here.
Today is Sen. Cruz’s last day of self-quarantine after a brief interaction 14 days ago with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19. Read Sen. Cruz’s full statement on his decision to self-quarantine out of an abundance of caution here.
Sen. Cruz is leading the effort to protect the health of all Americans since the outbreak was first reported, including voting for the Senate’s $8.3 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations to assist in the United States’ efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus and prevent further outbreaks.
Sen. Cruz also:
- Sent a letter with Sen. Cornyn to get answers about the incident that took place in San Antonio earlier this month, when an individual was released from isolation at Lackland, despite testing positive for the coronavirus.
- Sent a letter with Sens. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requesting information on the agency’s readiness to prevent the transmission of coronavirus across American ports of entry.
- Held a bipartisan briefing in February for members of the Commerce Committee to hear from officials about how the U.S. government is working with other countries on a coordinated, global response to this public health crisis.
- Participated in a roundtable discussion with the Coalition of Airline Pilots Association, where he commended their efforts to contain the coronavirus.
- Sent a letter to the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in February calling for Taiwan to be fully included in the international response to coronavirus.
- Sent a letter with Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and other members to the World Health Organization concerning Taiwan’s exclusion from the World Health Organization.
- Called for a travel ban to and from China as well as advanced screenings at U.S. airports in January.