The HEROES Act; A Response to AZ (section 30615)

So on social media, a friend was complaining about how Senate Republicans have been obstructing any chance at relief.  A friend of hers blamed it on the Democrats in Congress for passing the HEROES act, which he claims is chockfull of unnecessary and insensible.

Since he posted a list of complaints on Quora, we have a chance to analyze his views in some detail.

And I warn you, this is going to be a long one.  That’s why I’m going to break down responses by section.

The main problems with AZ is that he doesn’t analyze the things he has a problem with, he simply lists them on the assumption that their “unneccessary” and “not sensible” nature are obvious.

This is how he sums up his complaints on every single line item he includes:

“Here’s a mere scattering of provisions that are not plausibly related to addressing the COVID-19 crisis—even ignoring the question of whether provisions directly affecting the pandemic are appropriate ways of addressing it.”

Let’s see if that holds up.

Section 30615 provides funding for the construction and establishment of new medical schools in “diverse and underserved areas”.

So the very first complaint AZ makes is that the bill is building more medical schools during a national crisis, AND he has a problem with them being in “diverse and underserved areas.”

But before we debate the need of constructing more medical schools, let’s take a look at Section 30615.  Is he correct regarding its content?

First, it’s actual title:
Grants for schools of medicine in diverse and underserved areas.

The first thing we find when we read it is that it’s not all about building new schools, it’s also about improving existing facilities at existing institutions.  It includes funding to modernize curriculum, to add facility and support staff, to gain accreditation.

I have to admit, I’m at a loss as to what part of this is unnecessary or not sensible during a global pandemic.  We’ve got existing schools and laboratories working full out for treatments and vaccines – and they’ve already been working all out at finding cures for thousands of other conditions.

Adding more medical schools with facilities to work on COVID19 cures or to take on other studies to free up other facilities to work on COVID 19 makes nothing BUT sense. 

Several major laboratories have had to suspend long-term studies because of the crisis:

This week, as research institutions around the world brace for a surge in COVID-19 cases and consider their staff and students’ roles in slowing the virus’ spread, Lenski decided to freeze his bacteria and pause the 32-year experiment…. Countless labs in a variety of research fields are reconsidering their planned studies—and not all projects can be easily put on ice.
AAAS Magazine, May 16, 2020

Prioritizing these new facilities in “diverse and underserved areas” also makes sense, because these areas are the hardest hit by COVID-19.

Out of the 47 states that report the race of COVID-19 victims, the most disproportionately high COVID-19 mortality rate was born by Black or African Americans in 35 states, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) residents in five states, Asian Americans in four states, white residents in two states, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) in one state.
USA Today, July 21, 2020

We need to reject AZ’s assertion that Section 30615 contains “…things that aren’t direct responses to the pandemic…” because it clearly DOES address problems raised by the crisis.

To whit-

• The provision increases capacity for testing for the virus.
• The provision increases capacity for studying the virus.
• The provision allows for additional studies into vaccines and effective treatments for the virus.
• The provision provides access to care in underserved areas affected by the virus.
• The provision increases educational opportunities to increase medical staff in the future
• The provision increased job opportunities for medical professionals and support staff in underserved communities
• The provision increases the tax base in underserved communities. 
  

AZ concludes:
”…none of them belong in an emergency pandemic relief bill. They should all be separately proposed and separately discussed, not piggybacked on (what is intended as) “must pass” emergency legislation.”

I disagree.  This item helps in the short term AND the long term.  There is no benefit derived from delaying it to a different bill.