On Thursday, Democratic Rep. Katie Porter went viral after getting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert R. Redfield to guarantee free testing for the novel coronavirus.
In an interview with IN DEPTH, Porter discussed the exchange and how she’s committed to making sure he follows through with his promise.
Porter cited an existing law, 42 CFR 71.30, which gives Redfield the permission to authorize the free testing.
“We don't need an act of congress to provide for free testing,” she said. “We simply need to hold the CDC Director in this administration accountable to use the law that thoughtful people put in place in years past.”
Now with Redfield on the record, Porter is ready to make sure he follows through with his word.
“We absolutely will be holding the CDC to account for this,” she said. “He was sworn in under the oath when he testified before Congress and the American people need to be able to trust that when witnesses speak to the American public under oath that they are giving their word and we in Congress will hold them to account and that's exactly what I'm going to do.”
Porter also urged Americans to not hoard supplies and to simply purchase enough for a week. She also noted that the point should be to minimize the potential for exposure to the virus by not having to travel to a store on a daily basis and not to stock up on enough toilet paper and other supplies indefinitely.
In addition, she advised everyone to use hand soap and hoped that once hand sanitizer becomes available that it is first distributed to “front line medical providers like EMT, firefighters and nurses.”