Larger State Seal
Rep. Greg Barreto's
Newsletter

The Trump Administration is supporting the people of Oregon
April 24, 2020
Good afternoon and I hope you and your families are staying healthy,

I t has been almost six weeks since businesses and large gatherings were shut down by the coronavirus emergency measures put in place by the governor. This week, she announced that hospitals would be opened up for elective surgeries again starting May 1 st if they follow proper protocol and have sufficient inventory of personal protective equipment. This is a welcome start to opening all businesses back up once again.   
We currently stand at 83 deaths in Oregon attributed to COVID-19, with a total of 122 projected through August if the University of Washington model is at all accurate. When I looked at this model for the first time several weeks ago, they projected 172 deaths during this period. The model is updated every few days and over the past few weeks the projected death total has been reduced. We now have plenty of ventilators in stock should they be needed. We are receiving more protective equipment on an almost bi-weekly frequency. Testing is a mixed bag. We have testing capability, but the test results are still slow and the rapid testing is not available in the volume needed to immediately test for COVID-19. Testing for antibodies to show who has already been affected by the virus and may be immune is still in beginning stages. We’re not there yet. However, there is the analysis of cost vs. benefit that must be considered. There is a balance that needs to be found between the risk of this disease escalating and the risk of our economy and jobs being increasingly damaged or lost the longer we wait. 

Geographically, Oregon is diverse, and one size certainly does not fit all. There are five counties that have not seen any recorded cases of COVID-19 and several more Eastern Oregon counties that have had very few positive cases. Now is the time to not only open up the hospitals that have been hemorrhaging because of lost revenue, but also allow low risk counties to reopen the deeply hurting business sector, especially dine-in restaurants. that were closed down indefinitely??  A cautious reopening can easily be done while still keeping safeguards in place to protect the general public. 

To do nothing at all while small businesses and their employees lose hope of surviving is absolutely wrong. People who have put their whole life savings into their businesses are in jeopardy of losing everything and their employees are at risk of permanently losing their jobs without other employment available. We have watched over the last few weeks as people have lost jobs at an almost unprecedented rate. The unemployment department is so far behind that many people have still not received checks and don’t know how long it will be until they do.

I have to say, the federal government has certainly stepped up to procure and deliver on medical devices and protective gear in the last couple of weeks and hopefully each state will have all they need in short order. President Trump has given the green light to allow governors to govern and open up their own states as they see fit. It’s time for Oregon to begin to open up and get back to work.
The President and his team have done their part. President Trump said the cure cannot be worse than the disease. It’s time now for Governor Brown and her administration to step up for Oregon and start us working again. At this point it appears the Oregon “cure” may be in danger of outpacing the disease.

Below is a report from the White House specific to Oregon as well as a chart showing the amount of FEMA investment the President and his team have authorized in Region 10 that includes Oregon. I appreciate the rapid response to help families and businesses during this unprecedented time.

My prayer is that you and your families remain safe and strong as we move to restoring our economy and health of Oregon.
The White House
The Trump Administration Is Supporting the People of Oregon
Overview: Response and recovery efforts are locally executed, State managed, and Federally supported. Successful emergency management requires nationwide cooperation and unity of effort, combining the strength and ingenuity of our citizens and private sector with a sweeping, all-inclusive, and whole-of-government response. The below is a partial overview of Federal assistance provided to the State of Oregon and the people of Oregon to combat the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The information is bolstered by hundreds of additional actions by the Federal government to help the people of Oregon. Implementation of the CARES Act is ongoing and will also bring additional support to Oregon. President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have appreciated the strong State-Federal partnership with Governor Kate Brown.

Supportive Actions by President Donald J. Trump:

President Trump Declares a National Emergency: On March 13, President Trump declared a national emergency concerning COVID-19. The emergency declaration authorized direct Federal assistance, temporary facilities, commodities, equipment, and emergency operation costs for all states, including Oregon, pursuant to section 501(b) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.

- Oregon’s Major Disaster Declaration: On March 24, Governor Brown submitted a major disaster declaration request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). On March 29, President Trump approved the request declaring a major disaster in the State of Oregon and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State, local, and tribal recovery efforts in the areas affected by COVID-19. For the first time in our Nation’s history, every state and territory has a presidential disaster declaration at the same time.

- Historic Economic Relief: On March 27, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act into law. The law provides unprecedented economic relief to American citizens, small businesses, workers, healthcare providers, and State, local, and tribal governments and builds on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. More here. Additional Oregon allocation information is found below.

- National Guard Support: On April 7, President Trump directed FEMA to fund 100% of the emergency assistance activities provided by Oregon National Guard personnel in Title 32 duty status, per Governor Brown’s request.

Testing, Resource & Logistics Support: FEMA is working with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), other Federal agencies, and private sector partners, to produce, allocate, and distribute key resources to Oregon. Most notably, these include personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, and the expedition of critical supplies from overseas to various U.S. locations.

- HHS, the Centers for Disaster Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are providing unprecedented regulatory flexibilities, resources, and guidance to expand the availability of testing and to assist Oregon and States across the country in scaling testing. Learn more from the CDC here and FDA here. In addition, CARES Act and other supplemental disbursements, alongside FEMA resources, are important avenues for States to scale testing.

- The Federal government has supported mobile testing efforts to increase testing capacity and availability in Oregon.

-In support of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, FEMA and HHS are coordinating a whole-of-America approach to source personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, and other critical resources for States, Tribes, and Territories. The effort is led by Rear Admiral John Polowczyk of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. For more on the Supply Chain Stabilization Task Force, read more here.

-The Trump Administration is coordinating Project Air Bridge, a coordinated public-private partnership
designed to expedite the movement of critical supplies from other countries to the United States. The below table shows recently delivered supplies to Oregon entities, including Project Air Bridge efforts to bolster private sector supply chains.
- In addition to the Project Air Bridge efforts, as of April 14, FEMA delivered 140 ventilators, 207,919 N-95 masks, 319,100 surgical masks, 66,899 medical gowns, 3,379 coveralls, 64,642 face shields, and 310,324 gloves from the Strategic National Stockpile to Oregon.

- As of April 21, FEMA has obligated over $40 M for Oregon to respond to COVID-19 and will continue to obligate additional dollars per validated State requests.

- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has worked with the State of Oregon to increase hospital capacity in the State and is providing resources and personnel to create an alternate care facility in Eugene (Eugene River Avenue Facility – 45 beds). More here.

Federal Agency Support: The Trump Administration continues to provide unprecedented resources,
guidance, and regulatory flexibilities for State, local and tribal governments to develop and deploy innovative solutions for addressing COVID-19.

- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS)
 Through the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided $10.39 M to the State of Oregon.

 As of April 21, HHS has awarded more than $23.25 M in CARES Act funding to 30 health centers
across Oregon to assist in combatting COVID-19. More here.

 Medical providers in Oregon were allocated more than $291 M for the first round of funding from the Provider Relief Fund, with most of that provided Friday, April 10.

 The Indian Health Service (IHS) has distributed $14 M in COVID-19 supplemental appropriations to
the State of Oregon, benefiting IHS, Tribal, and Urban Indian Organization Health Programs within
the IHS Portland Area. More here. IHS has also delivered 7 ID NOW COVID-19 rapid point-of-care
test system to 7 tribes in Oregon.

 As of April 22, the State of Oregon has received a total of more than $373.9 M from HHS, through the Provider Relief Fund, CDC State and local funding, HRSA health centers, and other HHS grants.

 On March 20, the State of Oregon submitted an 1135 Medicaid Waiver request to the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid (CMS). On March 25, CMS approved Oregon’s waiver request offering new
flexibilities to focus resources on combatting the outbreak and providing the best possible care to
Medicaid beneficiaries in Oregon.

 HHS, CMS, and FDA have issued guidance on several topics to help inform decisions made by State and local health officials and private sector partners, including operational guidance for Oregon
nursing homes, telemedicine, elective surgery, and insurers. Learn more from CMS here, CDC here,
and FDA.

 On April 22, organizations in Oregon were awarded more than $2.6 M to support small rural hospitals and promote telehealth in rural communities. More here.

- U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
 As a result of the CARES Act, the SBA created four additional loan/funding programs to assist
businesses impacted by COVID-19. As of April 16, the SBA issued over $3.8 B in loans to over 18,700 Oregon small businesses. Nationally, SBA executed more loans in 14 days of the CARES Act
implementation than the agency had done in the previous 14 years. More here.

 On March 20, SBA declared an economic disaster in Oregon at the request of Governor Brown. The disaster declaration creates access to low interest loans for small businesses across Oregon. SBA continues to process and allocate disaster loans to eligible parties in Oregon. As of April 20, the SBA has approved 10,914 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) advances of up to $10,000 for Oregon small businesses impacted by COVID-19; these funds, as authorized by the CARES Act, do not need to be repaid and have totaled more than $48 M in the State of Oregon.

- U.S. Department of the Treasury (USDT)
 As of Monday, April 13, Economic Impact Payments authorized by the CARES Act have gone out to 80 million Americans in Oregon and across the country. These payments are being automatically
issued to eligible 2019 or 2018 federal tax return filers who received a refund using direct deposit.
More here. Social Security recipients who do not file tax returns will automatically receive economic
impact payments. More here.

 Treasury is operationalizing stimulus relief to States, Tribes, and eligible units of local government as authorized under the CARES Act’s Coronavirus Relief Fund. The State of Oregon, combined with
eligible units of local government in the State that apply, will receive over $1.6 B. Governmental
entities in the State of Oregon have already received $931.9 M of this allocation, including over $114.2 M to the City of Portland. More here.

 On April 9, the Department of the Treasury and Federal Reserve launched a Main Street Business
Lending program and a Municipal Liquidity Facility (MLF) to support the flow of credit to American
workers, businesses, states, counties, and cities In Oregon and across the nation impacted by the
COVID-19 pandemic. The MLF will provide up to $500 B in direct financing to states, counties, and
cities in Oregon and across the Nation to help ensure they have the funds necessary to provide
essential services to citizens and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. More here. MLF term sheet
and guidance can be found here.

- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
 HUD made over $37.6 M in COVID-19 funding available to Oregon via CARES Act authorizations.
More here.

 On April 1, HUD implemented the CARES Act requirement to provide up to one year of payment
forbearance for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) single-family borrowers in Oregon and across
the Nation who are experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19. More here.

 On April 10, HUD implemented the CARES Act requirement to provide FHA multifamily borrowers
in Oregon and across the Nation with forbearance for up to three months if they agree not to evict
tenants during that period. More here.

- U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
 As a result of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, DOL expanded paid sick, family, and
medical leave; the Department has offered flexibilities and emergency administrative capacity
expansion grants for unemployment insurance that will help the people of Oregon.

 DOL has awarded over $12.6 M in emergency administrative unemployment insurance grants and $3 M in dislocated worker grants to the State of Oregon.

- U.S. Department of Education (DoED)
 On March 20, DoED suspended Federal student loan payments and waived interest during the
Federal emergency, which could help up to 495,100 direct loan borrowers in Oregon.

 DoED has also provided unprecedented reporting flexibilities to Oregon to allow the State to best
meet the needs of students and teachers during the emergency. More here, here and here.

 In April, DoED announced allocations under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund of the
CARES Act totaling over $127.1 M to support postsecondary education students and institutions of
higher education in Oregon. More here and here.

 On April 14, DoED announced an allocation in The Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund
(GEERF), authorized by the CARES Act, of over $32.5 M for Oregon. This is an extraordinarily flexible “emergency block grant” designed to enable governors to decide how best to meet the needs of students, schools (including charter schools and non-public schools), postsecondary institutions, and other education-related organizations. More here.

- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
 On April 17, Secretary Perdue joined President Trump in announcing the Coronavirus Food
Assistance Program (CFAP) to assist farmers, ranchers, and consumers in response to COVID-19.
This $19 B relief program will provide $16 B in direct support based on actual losses for agricultural
producers and $3 B in purchases of fresh produce, dairy and meat, including producers in Oregon.

 USDA has provided numerous flexibilities and resources to the State of Oregon to ensure children
and low income Americans have access to food during the national emergency. More here.

 USDA published a COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide for rural residents, businesses, and
communities in Oregon and across the country to find information about federal funding and
partnership opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

- U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
 DOT allocated more than $285.8 M in Federal Transit Administration funds to help the Oregon public transportation systems respond to the challenges of COVID-19. More here.

 DOT awarded more than $140.1 M from the Federal Aviation Administration to help fund continuing
operations and lost revenue for airports in Oregon. More here.

- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
 With the $19.6 B allocated under the CARES Act, the VA is hiring new staff and procuring additional resources to deal with the evolving needs of the pandemic. This includes expanding free or subsidized telehealth services and waiving a requirement that VA State homes maintain a 90 percent occupancy rate in order to receive Federal benefits for times when the Veteran is not in the home. More here.

 The VA traditionally provides Veterans’ healthcare, benefits and memorial affairs. In times of national crisis, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, VA provides services to the Nation based on requests from states, while being clear that Veterans are our first priority. This is known as VA’s Fourth Mission. The VA has assisted the State of Oregon with PPE decontamination efforts and has
increased medical/surgical bed capacity in the State.

 The U.S. Department of the Treasury and VA announced that VA benefit recipients in Oregon and
across the Nation will automatically receive $1,200 in Economic Impact Payments provided for under
the CARES Act.

 On April 3, the VA announced a number of actions to provide Veterans in Oregon and across the
Nation with financial, benefits and claims help as part of the VA’s COVID-19 response. The financial
relief actions include – until further notice – (i) suspending all actions on Veteran debts under the
jurisdiction of the Treasury Department and (ii) suspending collection action or extending repayment
terms on preexisting VA debts, as the Veteran prefers. More here.

- U.S. Department of State (DOS)
 The State Department launched an unprecedented global effort to bring home citizens from every
corner of the globe and has repatriated thousands of Americans from multiple countries. As of April
17, DOS coordinated the repatriation of nearly 70,000 Americans, including individuals from
Oregon. More here.

- U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
 DOJ allocated $9.9 M in funds to Oregon through the Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental
Funding (CESF) Program to assist the State and local government response to COVID-19. This
includes $6.8 M in funding to the State and $3.1 M to local governments. More here.


OHA Information on COVID-19

Updates and information

Contacting the Salem Office
Office staff: Vicki Olson Legislative Assistant