Cleaver: Trump Administration needs to provide plan to provide safety for workers in meat processing plants

(From Fifth District Congressman Emanuel Cleaver)

I hope you are staying safe, being careful, and looking out for others in our community. I wanted to take this opportunity to provide you another update on coronavirus-related efforts as well as resources that should be helpful during this difficult time.

It’s been another busy week for my staff and I as we continue fighting for the safety of everyone in the Fifth Congressional District of Missouri.

I’ve spent many hours on video and tele-conferences with the district hospitals, chambers of commerce, local officials, and community advocacy groups trying to relay important information and helpful resources, while also serving as our district’s conduit to the House of Representatives on the needs of our communities during this public health and economic crisis. While there is a lot to discuss, there are three efforts this week in particular I wanted to make you aware of.

Safeguarding Vulnerable Communities

It is now abundantly clear—and, sadly, of little surprise—that there are certain populations within American society who are being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, which has brought to light some of the inequities in our current health care system. 

In order to understand the deficiencies, and to make corrections that will lead to more equitable health outcomes, it’s important we understand where we’ve gone wrong to inform our future decision-making. 

That’s why I joined over a dozen of my colleagues in calling for the Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General to look into what work HHS undertook prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to eliminate racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities. You can find more information on this effort here.

Protecting American Workers

You may be aware that the Administration announced an Executive Order this week classifying meat processing plants as critical infrastructure, which will force them to remain in operation. 

As we’ve seen a spike in COVID-19 cases in Saline County linked to outbreaks in these facilities, I am urging the Administration to provide a plan of action that ensures the workers who operate in these facilities can do their jobs safely, including providing personal protective equipment for workers as well as strict adherence to social distancing policies. 

Worker safety must always be the first priority, and you can find more information about my calls to protect workers here.

Aiding Pork Producers

Prior to the Administration’s Executive Order classifying meat processing plants as critical infrastructure, many facilities across the nation had been forced to close due to worker safety concerns, and American pork producers have been hit the hardest. 

As the Administration works to provide a plan that will allow these facilities to reopen without putting workers at risk, it’s important that Congress provide these producers with the relief they need to stay above water financially. I’ve always said that urban and rural America have a symbiotic relationship; they both feed off one another and neither can survive alone. 

Pork producers have always done their best to ensure American families can keep food on the table, and, in their time of need, it’s important that Congress reciprocate that support. You can find more information on this effort here.

Coronavirus Update

As of this writing, the United States has over 1.1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, with more than 65,500 Americans tragically succumbing to the deadly virus.

In Missouri, we currently have over 8,000 confirmed cases, with over 1,300 cases confirmed in the Fifth District of Missouri.

Kansas City has announced it will begin a reopening of the city in phases. For more information on the city’s plan to safely resume activity, please visit their website.