January 21, 2022

Cori Bush Statement on Helping to Secure Federal Assistance for St. Louis COVID-19 Surge

ST. LOUIS, MO — Today, Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) issued the below statement following Governor Mike Parson’s request for federal medical support, a request the Congresswoman has been urging, including in her January 6th letter calling on him to do so:

“As we made clear in our letter to Governor Parson more than two weeks ago, St. Louis needed him to step up and request federal assistance to help our region respond to the Omicron variant. Ever since, we have remained in consistent contact with state and local health departments, FEMA, and health care leaders in our region as we pushed for this relief that our communities have desperately needed. Today, we are one step closer to having what our community needs to address this pandemic. This federal assistance is a lifeline for our nurses, doctors, and other health care professionals who have given so much of themselves to save lives in the midst of this crisis, and it will help our hospitals to more adequately meet the needs of our St. Louis community throughout this surge.”

On January 6th, following conversations with the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force and other local leaders, Congresswoman Bush wrote to Missouri Governor Mike Parson, calling on him to leverage federal aid to address the COVID-19 crisis in St. Louis. In her letter, she called on the Governor to request federal medical personnel, as well as additional federal testing sites.

FEMA is deploying a specialized medical team of U.S. military personnel, including doctors and nurses. They will be arriving at BJC Christian Hospital next week.

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Congresswoman Cori Bush sits on the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees, serves as the Progressive Caucus Deputy Whip, and proudly represents St. Louis as a politivist in the halls of the United States Congress.