Sen. Tammy Baldwin demands Trump help Wisconsin fight COVID-19 surge
'It is long past time for you to show leadership and take action,' Baldwin wrote in a letter to Trump.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin urged President Trump to send COVID-19 supplies to Wisconsin, citing six months of shortages that have further exacerbated mounting cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks.
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"I urged you to act to deliver this assistance swiftly," Baldwin said, citing an earlier letter to Trump in April. "It is now six months later, and Wisconsin is still experiencing supply shortages, which couldn't come at a worse time."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It is long past time for you to show leadership and take action to support our state with the supplies that we need and deserve," Baldwin wrote in her follow-up missive Friday.
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Wisconsin reported 3,861 new cases of coronavirus in the state on Friday and 135 new hospitalizations, straining an already overwhelmed hospital system. Gov. Tony Evers authorized a 530-bed emergency field hospital to open in Wisconsin State Fair Park just outside Milwaukee to help.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But Baldwin told Trump that health care workers at Bellin Health in Green Bay and UW-Health in Madison are facing imminent shortages of N-95 masks, surgical gowns, and testing supplies.
The last cache of supplies was distributed to Wisconsin by the Strategic National Stockpile in late March and included N95 respirators, face masks and shields, surgical gowns, coveralls and gloves.
Since then, the number of COVID-19 cases in the state has ballooned to more than 166,000 while1,574 people have died, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
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State Republican lawmakers have given the governor significant pushback on mask mandates and his recent restrictions on large gatherings meant to stop the spread of the virus. Trump is slated to hold a rally in Wisconsin on Tuesday, despite strong warnings from health experts against doing so.
"You mismanaged the federal distribution of medical supplies we need and failed to work constructively with Congress to reach agreement on additional COVID-19 relief funding that our state desperately needs," Baldwin accused.
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"We cannot afford more of your empty promises, and we cannot afford to wait," she wrote.