A group of Senate Democrats reiterates their concerns over the Pentagon’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, citing a spate in cases in July.
In a letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper
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“We are pleased to see that the department is taking some precautionary measures to address the spread of the virus, but are concerned that the department is still not prioritizing the health and well-being of our opponents,” she wrote in the letter. , dated Wednesday.
As of Wednesday, the Pentagon has reported a total of 53,033 coronavirus cases linked to the department, including 36,600 cases in the military.
A total of 80 deaths were reported across the department, including six officers. Of the troops who died, one was a sailor with active duty, while the others were reservists as guards.
The senators specifically noted that the number of COVID-19 cases linked to the Pentagon in July grew by more than 21,000, an increase of more than 100 percent.
The letter was organized by Sen. Elizabeth Warren
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The latest letter follows one sent in April by the same group of senators – plus Sen. Kamala Harris
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In the April letter, the senators expressed “serious concerns” about how the Pentagon handled the pandemic, citing incidents such as the outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and images of marines standing close together in long lines without face masks to get haircut to meet care standards.
The April letter called for a six-paragraph statement from the Pentagon chief, a reprimand from Esper during a Pentagon press briefing and a letter from Esper to Senate Armed Services committee chairman Jim Inhofe
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The Pentagon also responded directly to the senators in May in a letter released Thursday by Warren’s office.
“It’s unfortunate that your letter used invalid media reports that were discredited to make the department unfair while we were in the middle of the COVID-19 battle,” wrote Robert Hood, the then assistant secretary of state. defense for legislative matters, in the May response.
“To be clear, what we have done is work with some of the leading health care experts in the military and throughout government to find the right balance of protecting our people and protecting America,” he added. he ta.
The Hill reached out to the Pentagon for comment on the latest letter.
In the new letter, senators said they were “surprised” that Esper “would divert our concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on willingness and morale.” They cited Esper’s remark in his letter to Inhofe that her earlier letter “does not respect the 62,000 soldiers, sailors, pilots and marines currently deployed across the country”.
“To be clear: our motivation is to protect the health and well-being of opposites and their families, and our concerns are with you and the civic leadership at DoD who are responsible for keeping American opposites and their families safe. and ready to accomplish their missions, ”the Democratic senators wrote.
While we understand the desire to write off the series of ongoing COVID-19-related issues in the DoD as a by-product of ‘inaccurate media reports’, and that DoD cannot prevent all cases of COVID-19, the fact remains that cases within the department is picking up at an alarming rate, ‘they added.
In addition to the thousands of COVID-19 cases linked to the department, senators said dozens of U.S. troops deployed to South Korea tested positive for the virus when they left the United States. arrived, and new cases among U.S. troops in Japan prompted the Japanese defense minister to accuse “the U.S. military of lax coronavirus checks.”
“Ensuring that U.S. counterparts and dependents do not have COVID-19 before traveling abroad should be of paramount importance to DoD leadership to maintain trust with partners and allies,” the senators wrote.
The Democrats said Hood’s May letter did not answer the specific questions in its April letter. They reiterate that they want answers to those dozens of questions, including what the department’s current plan is to tackle the pandemic, while continuing with operations and protecting the health of troops, whether the department knows how many opponents actually have it. virus have given asymptomatic cases, and what the The plan of the department is for long-term limitation in case of future outbreaks.
“Congress is ready to support the department, but we can not do that if basic questions are not answered regarding DoD’s response,” she wrote. “We know you have our desire to protect U.S. service members, DoD citizens, and their families while maintaining the highest possible level of readiness.”
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