Rep. Adams Sends Letter to President Trump Asking for Answers About COVID-19's Impacts on Food Production
Do inspectors and workers have the PPE, procedures and training to be able to safely carry out their responsibilities?
Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) sent a letter to President Trump asking for answers about his Executive Order on Delegating Authority Under the Defense Production Act (DPA) with Respect to Food Supply Chain Resources During the National Emergency Caused by the Outbreak of COVID-19 as published on April 28, 2020.
In the letter, Rep. Adams asks the Administration to answer 8 questions about their implementation of the Defense Production Act. Since President Trump invoked the DPA, the United States has added approximately 2,000,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
"I remain concerned about the health and safety of workers in food processing facilities given that there have been nearly 26,000 positive COVID-19 cases related to meat and poultry packing plants with more than 90 reported worker deaths and at least four U.S. Department of Agriculture Inspector deaths as of June 23rd. With COVID-19 cases spiking across the country, the risks to our food supply and vulnerable workers continue to be acute." wrote Congresswoman Adams.
A copy of the letter is available here.
As chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, Congresswoman Alma Adams is fighting for safety in the workplace during COVID-19. Previously, she has called out Administration officials for not issuing emergency temporary standards to address the danger posed by COVID-19 in the workplace.
In April, Adams told CNN that meatpacking plants "should not reopen without unprecedented protections and safeguards for workers and livestock" and "the Trump Administration shouldn't decide which workers will be safe and which workers will be in mortal danger."
Congresswoman Alma Adams represents North Carolina's 12th Congressional District (Charlotte) and serves as Vice Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture. Additionally, she serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the House Education & Labor Committee, where she serves as Chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee. In 2015, she founded the Adams Hunger Initiative to address food insecurity across Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and the 12th Congressional District.
[1]https://investigatemidwest.org/2020/04/16/tracking-covid-19s-impact-on-meatpacking-workers-and-industry/
[2]https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2020-05-14/fourth-usda-inspector-dies-from-virus-amid-meat-plant-outbreaks