"We are all in this together – government, the private sector, family, friends, neighbors", Rep. Veronica Escobar.

An opinion echo authored by Texas U.S. Rep.-elect Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso published in the El Paso Times newspaper.

El Pasoans join Americans who are familiar with facing great challenges.

Rep. Veronica Escobar

In fact, the El Paso community has demonstrated time and again that we are strongest when we unite to face adversity.

Coronavirus, the pandemic that is sweeping the globe will prove to be one of the greatest challenges we will face. To adequately address it, we must each be armed with information driven by science, understand the gravity of the situation, and be motivated by prudent urgency.

Those are the guideposts that have helped the House of Representatives navigate this unprecedented health and economic crisis as we work to protect the American people, jobs and the economy.

Congress, with the leadership of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Chuck Schumer, has passed two House Democrat-led bipartisan bills to help address the coronavirus crisis. While not an exhaustive list, these two laws:

· Ensure free testing for everyone who needs it, including the uninsured

· Provide two weeks of paid sick leave as well as up to three months of family and medical leave for eligible workers

· Expand unemployment insurance access by easing state requirements

· Provide emergency loans for small businesses

· Fund local and state government health agencies

· Ensure food security for vulnerable populations and funding for food banks.

We will continue to deliver for the American people with as much as urgency as possible and work is underway on a third stimulus package, that includes new, strong, and strict provisions that prioritize and protect workers.


We are all in this together – government, the private sector, family, friends, neighbors.

What has become painfully clear during this crisis is that deliberate erosion to our safety net – cuts to healthcare, food security, employment benefits, etc. – have exacerbated the crisis and created deeper insecurity in our communities.

As we work to rebuild the safety net that has been disassembled over time, there are things that you must do to keep yourself and those around you healthy and safe.

With every new presumptive case of COVID-19 announced in El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, we must realize that these are announcements of the cases that are known to us. It is highly likely that the number of people carrying the virus is much greater, and we won’t know until there is adequate and ample testing.

Unfortunately, we don’t know when the Trump administration will have more tests available for communities across the country. 

This inability to provide COVID19 tests has been a monumental failure that has prevented us from understanding the depth of the crisis and has crippled our ability to truly address the situation.

Until the federal government has a better understanding of the true numbers, there are things you must do to keep yourself safe.

First, acknowledge that this is truly a life-threatening pandemic; understand the gravity of the situation, but don’t panic. Stay informed. Visit www.cdc.gov as well as my website, escobar.house.gov/services/coronavirus to keep up-to-date.

Stay home as much as possible, and if you have to be out, avoid close contact with others.

We have to understand that the more we exercise caution today, the better the outcome in the long-run. Spending time apart from the people we love and the work that we do is difficult. But if we don’t do it, there could be more tragic consequences ahead.

I’m grateful to our first responders, our health care workers, grocery store employees who are working as best as they can to ensure we have what we need. I’m grateful for the neighbors, friends and family members who are keeping each other in check, ensuring everyone has what they need and helping to keep our spirits high.