Floor SpeechNeutral2026-05-11

HANTAVIRUS

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On 2026-05-11, Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) delivered a floor speech titled "HANTAVIRUS" in the Senate.

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HANTAVIRUS

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 79 (Monday, May 11, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 79 (Monday, May 11, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S2190-S2191] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HANTAVIRUS Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, on the hantavirus, earlier today, 17 Americans--including 3 New Yorkers--who were on the cruise ship at the center of the hantavirus outbreak arrived in Nebraska, where they remained in quarantine. One has since tested positive for hantavirus. They should know that all of us here in the Senate are thinking of them and praying for their health. No one should have to go through such an ordeal. The hantavirus outbreak reminds us of what happened during COVID-19. We need to invest in public health and pandemic preparedness. Sadly, the Trump administration has not learned that lesson. The Trump administration gutted our public health defenses. The public may not know it, but Trump fired the workers whose job it is to protect us from outbreaks like hanta. Donald Trump, Russell Vought, and now Elon Musk purged hundreds of Federal workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Department of Health and Human Services including--here is who Trump fired--cruise ship inspectors, port health station staff, disease detectives, and others. He cut all those, and now we have the hantavirus. They were there for a purpose. Blindly swinging their DOGE chainsaw through the Federal Government, Trump, Vought, and Musk also hamstrung the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program--a program that didn't cost the taxpayers any money. The cruise ships paid for it, but, of course, they didn't care. The solution is a simple one. I put out a plan that calls on the Trump administration to rehire these fired outbreak-response experts, to restore funding to protect Americans from infectious diseases, and to rejoin the World Health Organization and other groups that track outbreaks and provide early warning. Rehire, restore, rejoin--that is how we keep the American people healthy and safe. Diseases like hantavirus and COVID don't care what your politics are. They threaten everyone. Donald Trump needs to stop politicizing public health and start investing in it. [[Page S2191]] ____________________

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HANTAVIRUS Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 79 (Monday, May 11, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 79 (Monday, May 11, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S2190-S2191] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HANTAVIRUS Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, on the hantavirus, earlier today, 17 Americans--including 3 New Yorkers--who were on the cruise ship at the center of the hantavirus outbreak arrived in Nebraska, where they remained in quarantine. One has since tested positive for hantavirus. They should know that all of us here in the Senate are thinking of them and praying for their health. No one should have to go through such an ordeal. The hantavirus outbreak reminds us of what happened during COVID-19. We need to invest in public health and pandemic preparedness. Sadly, the Trump administration has not learned that lesson. The Trump administration gutted our public health defenses. The public may not know it, but Trump fired the workers whose job it is to protect us from outbreaks like hanta. Donald Trump, Russell Vought, and now Elon Musk purged hundreds of Federal workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Department of Health and Human Services including--here is who Trump fired--cruise ship inspectors, port health station staff, disease detectives, and others. He cut all those, and now we have the hantavirus. They were there for a purpose. Blindly swinging their DOGE chainsaw through the Federal Government, Trump, Vought, and Musk also hamstrung the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program--a program that didn't cost the taxpayers any money. The cruise ships paid for it, but, of course, they didn't care. The solution is a simple one. I put out a plan that calls on the Trump administration to rehire these fired outbreak-response experts, to restore funding to protect Americans from infectious diseases, and to rejoin the World Health Organization and other groups that track outbreaks and provide early warning. Rehire, restore, rejoin--that is how we keep the American people healthy and safe. Diseases like hantavirus and COVID don't care what your politics are. They threaten everyone. Donald Trump needs to stop politicizing public health and start investing in it. [[Page S2191]] ____________________