NASHVILLE – Republican U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee as well as Sen. David Perdue, R-Georgia, are among a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers named to President Donald Trump’s economic recovery initiative to look at how to reopen a U.S. economy slammed by the coronavirus.
Alexander, chairman of the Senate Health Committee, said in a statement Thursday that “the way to contain this disease and get back to work and back to school is to put politics aside and work together as fast as we can on new tests, new treatments and new vaccines.
“Everyone I know wants this to happen as quickly as we responsibly can, and I welcome the opportunity to help in this way,” Alexander said.
Blackburn said in her own statement that the “pandemic is affecting Americans of all backgrounds, in every sector, and figuring out how we re-open our country requires a targeted approach.
“I am grateful that President Trump has selected me to join that effort, and look forward to working with my colleagues to come up with a solution that serves the American people,” she said.
Perdue, who has a business background and once led Nashville-based Dollar General, said, “Trump’s agenda created the greatest economic turnaround in U.S. history. However, the COVID-19 crisis and the resulting shutdown of much of our country has taken a serious toll on our economy.
“Many Americans are not only worried about their health, but also whether they can keep their jobs, run their businesses and provide for their families,” Perdue said. “Even while we are still fighting this virus, we need to begin thinking about how to reopen our economy. Going forward, our objective should be to find a balance between keeping people healthy while protecting jobs and the economy long-term.”
The Hill newspaper reported that a number of Republican as well as Democratic lawmakers have been named to the panel, including Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, and and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia.