NEWS FROM THE SECOND DISTRICTDear Friend, It’s great being back in the district – and not just because of the weather. This past week, I had the opportunity to tour two COVID-19 vaccination locations. Bay County and others in our district are working with limited resources and we still have a lot of work to be done, but I’m encouraged by the teamwork I’ve seen. Together, we can beat this.
While there’s a united front in our district, the same cannot be said for Congress. In last week’s Dunn Dispatch, I talked about reconciliation and the House Democrats’ attempt to push a unilateral bill with little to no input from Republicans. This past week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee met to mark up the next COVID-19 relief package and unfortunately it went as all of us expected. Republicans were blocked from adding several amendments with commonsense fixes and solutions. The Democrats on the committee admitted numerous times that we had good ideas, but they refused to pass our amendments.
I’m disappointed that the House Energy and Commerce Committee couldn’t work together to create thoughtful and effective solutions.
The Democrats’ solution is more & bigger government, even if it means killing jobs and crippling the economy. It’s time to get Americans safely back to work. My Republican colleagues and I recognize that some Americans do need help getting back on their feet, and we’re prepared to help with that. But this country must recover at some point, and dependence on the federal government is not the way to accomplish that.
Please read about my week below:
This Week in the District
Legislative Updates
Coronavirus Updates
This Week in the District
A Look At Vaccination Operations in Bay County
On Wednesday, I had the privilege of observing the COVID-19 vaccination operation at the Bay County Council on Aging. Thanks to a partnership between the Bay County Health Department, Bay County Emergency Medical Services, and the Bay Town Trolley, 200 homebound seniors were able to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations.
I’m proud of what our district has been able to accomplish in a short time frame, but there’s still a lot of work to do. I would like to thank the entire team for their hard work and for allowing me to visit with the staff and those receiving the vaccinations. Efforts like these are what we need to defeat this awful pandemic.
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Later that day, I stopped over at the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System’s Panama City Beach outpatient clinic. I met with Assistant Director of Outpatient Operations Alicia Miller and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Binita Amin who kindly gave me a brief overview of their healthcare system. Following the briefing, Ms. Miller and Dr. Amin gave me a tour of the vaccination area.
I’m grateful for how quickly the vaccination area is coming together. I can tell that the staff is eager to get our veterans vaccinated, and I would like to thank them all for their hard work and dedication. Tax Season Has Begun! Filing season started on Friday and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is urging taxpayers to take some simple steps to help ensure they file accurate tax returns and speed their tax refunds to avoid a variety of pandemic-related issues.
Although every year the IRS encourages taxpayers to e-file their returns and use direct deposit to receive refunds, to those taxpayers who have previously not used e-file, the IRS emphasizes using it this year to avoid paper-related processing delays. You can file electronically by using a tax professional, IRS Free File or other commercial tax preparation software. The IRS cautioned paper-filed tax returns and paper checks will take even longer this year due to a variety of reasons.
You have until Thursday, April 15, 2021, to file your 2020 tax return and pay any tax owed. The IRS expects to receive more than 160 million individual tax returns this year with nine out of 10 returns filed electronically. At least eight out of 10 taxpayers get their refunds by using direct deposit.
Read more here. Legislative Updates
House Energy & Commerce Committee
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This past week, my Republican colleagues on the House Energy & Commerce Committee and I expressed our disappointment over the partisan COVID-19 relief process.
On Thursday morning, we sent a letter to Committee Chairman Frank Pallone highlighting that this committee has a long history of working together and that we should not throw bipartisanship to the wayside when it comes to something as important as COVID-19 relief.
Later that day, the House Energy & Commerce Committee met virtually. During this markup, my Republican colleagues and I shared stories from our district to reinforce how vital it is that we have bipartisan cooperation on such an important bill.
In my opening remarks, I took a moment to recognize Jan and Trudy White, who persevered through two CAT 5 hurricanes and a pandemic. Despite everything, they will soon open the newly built location of their restaurant “Dat Cajun Place.” Folks like this deserve a thoughtful, deliberative approach to COVID relief.
During the markup, I was grateful to offer an amendment to dedicate funding to prioritize the approval of therapeutic drug treatments for COVID-19 at the Food & Drug Administration. This should be bipartisan priority, and I’m disappointed that my amendment failed in a straight party line vote.
President Biden has repeatedly stated that we are at war with COVID-19. Wars are not won without a unified front. This is not the way our Committee, nor this Congress, should function. Coronavirus Updates
Recent Updates - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for bamlanivimab and etesevimab (monoclonal antibodies) administered together for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age or older) who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 and who are at high risk for progressing to severe COVID-19. The authorized use includes treatment for those who are 65 years of age or older or who have certain chronic medical conditions. Read more here.
- The manufacturers of currently available vaccines excluded pregnant and lactating people from the clinical trials needed to obtain Emergency Use Authorizations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Now that the vaccines have been distributed, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA will obtain information from those who receive them on their potential impact during pregnancy, as well as information on infant outcomes. While these data will prove useful, pregnant people and their clinicians must make real-time decisions now about the vaccine based on little or no scientific evidence that applies specifically to them. Read more here.
- Florida has many sites providing the COVID-19 vaccine. Use the vaccine finder to find a site near you. Supplies are limited and appointments may be required. At this time, the vaccine is available for:
- Persons 65 years of age and older.
- Health care personnel with direct patient contact.
- Residents and staff of long-term care facilities.
Thank you for your continued energy and enthusiasm, as reflected in your letters and Facebook posts. If you haven’t already, LIKE my Facebook page. You can also follow me on Twitter @DrNealDunnFL2. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in Congress!
Sincerely,
Dr. Neal Dunn
Member of Congress
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Stimulus checks act more as disaster relief than economic
Congressman Dunn visits homebound seniors who were vaccinated at Bay County Council on Aging Constituent Casework Corner
A veteran contacted my office after experiencing an extreme delay with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The veteran was waiting for approval of their referral to a community dermatologist for a minor procedure. We were able to explain the urgency of the situation and the VA quickly approved the referral.
Do you need help with a federal agency? Contact my office at 850-785-0812 or at www.dunn.house.gov
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