Sen. Ernst on 50K US citizens stuck overseas due to COVID-19: Working ‘desperately’ to get folks home
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, Republican member of the Senate Armed Service Committee discusses Americans stranded abroad amid coronavirus outbreak on ‘America’s Newsroom.’
Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.
Both Iowa and the U.S. State Department are working desperately to bring home Iowa residents stuck abroad amid coronavirus-related border closures, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said Thursday.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
Appearing on "America's Newsroom" with host Sandra Smith, Ernst said that she had heard American families' concerns about loved ones stuck overseas because of flight cancellations and the virus itself, and she is fighting to help Iowans return to the United States.
"My office is in contact with the State Department multiple times every day working through the various situations we have," said Ernst. "So far, we have over half of our Iowa families that have been out of the United States — we have half of them back in the United States."
On Wednesday, the State Department reported as many as 50,000 Americans are seeking help to return home.
"I get reports every day of the movement of those Iowans as they travel back home from those countries abroad," she continued.
"So we'll continue working with the State Department," she told Smtih.
"They are valiantly trying to get into remote areas to make sure that our Americans are safe and getting them home to their loved ones," Ernst stated.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
"We are, of course, seeing the pandemic touch our lives as well," she added. "We had a spike in unemployment. Nearly 42,000 Iowans applied for unemployment this last week."
"It's devastating, but we'll stay strong," Ernst concluded.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.