Rep. Cheney joins U.S. House members calling for relief for Wyoming industries, ranchers
BY JULIE DOCKSTADER HEAPS
Calling for aid and support for Wyoming’s coal and ash industries and for ranchers in the wake of economic repercussions from COVID-19, Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) joined a bipartisan group of members of Congress in letters to both the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture.
In press announcements issued today, April 1, as well as a conference call from Washington, D.C., with local and state leaders, Rep. Cheney explained the urgency behind the two letters – one signed by 29 members of Congress to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt calling for suspending or reducing federal royalty payments for coal, soda ash, oil, gas and other minerals to the U.S. Treasury. The other letter included 143 members of Congress to Secretary Sonny Perdue requesting swift support for America’s cattle ranchers.
“Thank you for your leadership during this difficult time,” the letter to Secretary Bernhardt began. “As we all consider efforts to maintain the economic drivers of our economy, we ask your support in providing relief within your existing authority, to essential industries impacted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, until our nation’s economy gets back on track.”
In the letter to Secretary Perdue, the Congressional letter emphasized the “need for domestic food security” the outbreak has demonstrated. “All farmers and ranchers are vital to our country’s ability to keep food on the table…. Many producers, including young producers, are often highly leveraged and cannot fall back on years of equity in a time of crisis.”
During the conference call coordinated through the Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce and including business owners across Wyoming, Rep. Cheney expressed gratitude for all who are supporting “our business community and our local communities as we go through this – what really is an unprecedented situation.”
In light of this, Rep. Cheney, who is also the House GOP Conference Chair, referred to a White House Briefing and statements from Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health on the 30-day continued recommendations for social distancing “and basically doing everything we can to slow the spread of this virus.”
Rep. Cheney emphasized, in particular, the urgency for Wyoming citizens to follow these recommendations. She explained that many question why more rural areas like Wyoming with less density are urged to follow the same recommendations as more populated areas like New York, New Orleans and other large cities and metropolitan areas.
“It can be harder to understand why we also need to have the same rules in place and recommendations that might make sense in other places,” she said. “I would say a couple things. Dr. Fauci said when you see how this virus has spread around the world, what you see is places can go from feeling like they don’t have any problem at all, from having few people hospitalized because of the virus to suddenly having an explosion in cases.”
Rep. Cheney emphasized doctors and scientists have recommended to the White House virus task force how important it is “that we do everything we can to do the social distancing for the next 30 days across the board even in Wyoming – even where we don’t have the same spread to this point that we know of.”
Continuing, she told the state and local leaders and business owners that government and healthcare efforts are moving forward to improve testing so “people can get their results immediately…, where we have a much better idea of who is in fact positive, who maybe don’t have symptoms but still ought to quarantine themselves.”
Rep. Cheney said: “We are very focused on minimizing the real pain people are feeling across the state in terms of what’s happening with respect to the economy, with respect to job losses, what’s happening for those parents who have to stay home because schools are closed.”
Speaking of concern and precautions for frontline healthcare workers, Rep. Cheney related a call she, along with U.S. Senators from Wyoming Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, had with representatives from hospitals across the state. “The issues of social distancing, the issue of staying home and not gathering in groups larger than 10, that’s what we can do to make sure we are protecting them.
“They are truly the frontline. They’re the people who are going to be called on. We want to make sure we don’t overwhelm that system. You are going to see us working to encourage people are abiding by those guidelines – how crucial that is to our health.”
Rep. Cheney referred to a study recently published in The Economist that during the 1918 influenza crisis, communities that practiced the most social distancing and quarantining fared better once the pandemic passed. “They had more healthy people who were ready to get back to work when it was safe to do that.”
In the meantime, to ensure financial relief through the CARES Act passed by the U.S. Senate and the House and signed last week by President Donald Trump, congressional members are working with Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the Treasury Department to work through the various regulations involved as quickly as possible.
Rep. Cheney assured the citizens and business leaders of Wyoming that government leaders are doing all they can to “make sure that all of the lending institutions [are] in a position right away to get the credit available through the CARES Act.
“I’m sure all is being done to see people [are] getting the resources that will be coming in terms of direct checks to individuals and to families as well as assistance provided to our hospitals and our healthcare industries.”
For full letters to Secretaries Bernhardt and Perdue on support for Wyoming’s coal and soda ash industries and ranchers, click on these links:
