Axios' Caitlin Owens (left) and Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.). Photo: Axios
Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that not passing another coronavirus stimulus package has left holes in state and local infrastructure to adequately fight the pandemic.
Driving the news: This week President Trump ended coronavirus stimulus negotiations with Congress until after the election. Districts with communities of color have desperately needed the aid.
The big picture: The lack of fully funding a public health mitigation program is causing farm workers and Latino communities to especially suffer, said Ruiz, a physician who practiced emergency medicine before his election to Congress.
- "If you just have testing, you do not have the contact tracing, then you are wasting your money on just testing," he told Axios' Caitlin Owens.
- "If you have testing, and contact tracing but you don’t support the working families that can’t self-quarantine at home from staying away from their loved ones so they don’t spread this infection to others, then you’re not fully addressing the problem."
Watch the event, Axios' Motivating Change: Solving for Health Equities, online at Axios.com.