WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Reps. Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Grace Meng (NY-06), Brian Higgins (NY-26), Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18), and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), led a letter from the New York Congressional delegation to President Joe Biden requesting he direct more rapid test kits to aid in New York’s battle against COVID-19.

This letter from the New York Congressional delegation comes at a time of dire need for New York in its battle against the surging Omicron variant, and emphasizes the need to ensure that test kits are accessible to all families by making them free of charge. 

We are writing to respectfully ask that your Administration provide the necessary COVID-19 rapid test kits to help our state battle this latest surge in COVID-19 cases and provide guidance that ensures school communities are safe,” wrote the lawmakers. “The need for COVID-19 rapid test kits in New York is palpable. Rapid COVID-19 tests provide New Yorkers not only with the ability to test in the comfort of their own home, but also help alleviate the hours-long lines seen at brick and mortar and mobile testing sites since late December. Without an adequate supply of COVID-19 rapid test kits, our efforts to limit the spread of the virus are compromised and all but ensure continued surges and loss. We further emphasize the need to ensure at-home tests are made available free of charge to remove barriers that may otherwise prevent people from receiving the care they need and keeping our communities healthy and safe.”

Those who signed the letter led by Representatives Jamaal Bowman, Grace Meng, Sean Patrick Maloney, Brian Higgins, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, include New York Reps. Jerrold Nadler, Nydia M. Velázquez, Thomas R. Suozzi, Carolyn B. Maloney, Mondaire Jones, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Adriano Espaillat, and Gregory Meeks. 

 A copy of the letter can be viewed here and the text of the correspondence is below. It also cc’d Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky. 

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January 14, 2022

Dear President Biden,

Thank you for your continued leadership to meaningfully address the COVID-19 pandemic. Your Administration’s announcement to purchase an additional 500 million COVID-19 tests to distribute to Americans for free comes at a dire time where it is clear the pandemic is not behind us. We are writing to respectfully ask that your Administration provide the necessary COVID-19 rapid test kits to help our state battle this latest surge in COVID-19 cases and provide guidance that ensures school communities are safe.

The toll of COVID-19 is far-reaching in our state where we have lost more than 62,000 New Yorkers, the COVID-19 positivity rate is 18 percent, and the number of children hospitalized due to COVID-19 rose from 85 at the start of December to 571 in early January. With the rapid spread of the virus comes increased demand for COVID-19 testing. At-home COVID-19 testing kits have also become scarce at pharmacies, forcing New Yorkers to wait in long lines at testing sites.

The need for COVID-19 rapid test kits in New York is palpable. Rapid COVID-19 tests provide New Yorkers not only with the ability to test in the comfort of their own home, but also help alleviate the hours-long lines seen at brick and mortar and mobile testing sites since late December. Without an adequate supply of COVID-19 rapid test kits, our efforts to limit the spread of the virus are compromised and all but ensure continued surges and loss. We further emphasize the need to ensure at-home tests are made available free of charge to remove barriers that may otherwise prevent people from receiving the care they need and keeping our communities healthy and safe.

Additionally, we support providing COVID-19 rapid test kits that are accompanied with translations and other supporting information for accurate use which will help ensure New York schools can open safely. For our school communities to be healthy and safe for everyone, we further encourage your administration to issue guidance that complements rapid test kits such that when a student tests positive for COVID-19, it is always communicated to the school and that the student quarantines at home. At this time, testing of our students is limited and we need to make every effort to prioritize and protect the health and well-being of everyone who is a part of our school communities. We appreciate your Administration’s commitment to increase the number of COVID-19 rapid test kits available to schools by 10 million per month. Building on your successes in the fight against the virus, everyone who calls New York home must have access to a sufficient number of COVID-19 rapid tests to meet the demands of the Omicron surge.

Thank you again for your leadership to address the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to continuing to work with you to defeat this virus.

CC:

The Honorable Miguel Cardona, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education

The Honorable Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

The Honorable Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention