Reps. Krishnamoorthi and Foster Send Letter To COVID-19 Czar Jeffrey Zients On Illinois Vaccine Distribution
Both Members of Congress Are On The Select Subcommittee On The Coronavirus Crisis
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08) and Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL-11) sent a letter to the White House Coordinator of the COVID-19 Response, Jeffrey Zients, inquiring about why there are discrepancies in the volume of vaccine doses distributed by state, and how those discrepancies can be rectified. For example, Illinois ranks 35th in the nation for vaccine distribution per capita.
"Illinois is home to the third-largest international airport and the third-largest metropolitan area in the United States, making the further spread of COVID-19 and its new variants arriving from the United Kingdom and South Africa a serious threat to the well-being and health of our constituents," wrote the Members of Congress. "As federal elected officials from Illinois, we request a briefing from your office on (1) why the per capita distribution differences arose among different states; (2) how our state will be provided adequate distribution of vaccine doses in a more expedient manner; and (3) what steps will be taken to ensure our state no longer receives significantly lower doses of vaccines per capita from the U.S. government."
The two Congressmen look forward to working with the Biden Administration on addressing these concerns in Illinois and recognize that their administration inherited a disorganized and inefficient federal response from the Trump Administration. The actions taken by President Biden early in his presidency, such as invoking the Defense Production Act, have shown that he can provide the federal leadership needed to defeat this pandemic.
The letter can be viewed here.