Washington, D.C. – Today, following a call with the White House on the distribution of vaccines to Nevada, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) released the following statement applauding President Biden for taking action to increase the weekly supply of COVID-19 vaccines in Nevada and across the country, as well as increase transparency to states, tribes, and territories.
“Ensuring Nevadans have access to the coronavirus vaccine is one of my top priorities, and we must be doing more to improve vaccine availability and transparency,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “The Biden Administration has outlined many steps they are taking to improve the vaccine supply chain, mobilize more health care workers, and utilize the full force of the federal government to speed up vaccination efforts, and I’m working closely with administration officials and the State of Nevada to address the state’s ongoing concerns and continue to get as many doses as possible to Nevadans.”
“In order to protect the health of Nevadans, we must increase the supply of vaccinations coming to our state,” said Senator Rosen. “Earlier today, Senator Cortez Masto and I had a productive call with the Biden administration where we highlighted the impact of this vaccine shortage on Nevadans, and urged immediate action. I am glad to see that the President has taken steps that will increase the weekly supply of vaccination doses by 1.4 million, at a minimum. I will continue working with the Biden Administration, our Governor, and state and local officials to improve the vaccination process for all Nevadans.”
BACKGROUND:
In response to concerns raised by state officials over Nevada’s vaccine allocation, Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen called the White House and had a productive conversation with Dr. Bechara Choucair, the White House Vaccines Coordinator. The Senators encouraged the Administration to work with the Governor’s office to boost transparency in supply and allocation. With today’s announcement and in light of their phone call, they are confident that the new Administration will work hand-in-hand with Nevada to bring much-needed assistance, and they will continue doing all they can to see that Nevadans receive the relief they deserve.
This month, Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen joined colleagues in a letter to then-Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar demanding the then-Trump Administration take immediate action to fix the significant failures of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution as coronavirus cases continue to climb.
Senator Rosen also joined colleagues in a letter to the then-incoming Biden Administration requesting a waiving of the state cost share requirement for FEMA assistance related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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