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| California Representative Katie Porter. Cr : CNN |
The first true American hero just emerged from the coronavirus pandemic: California Representative Katie Porter.
The Hill.com reported that during a Congressional hearing, Katie grilled the director of the Centers for Disease Control until he promised that coronavirus testing would be free for all Americans.
During the hearing, Democratic Rep. Porter did the math -- the full coronavirus battery of tests costs the patient $1,331. Nearly 30 million Americans don’t have health insurance, and the majority of them can’t afford to get tested at that cost.
But when Rep. Porter asked CDC Director Robert Redfield whether he would commit funds for free testing for all Americans, he tried to avoid her question over and over. BTW- last week, the government put $1.5 trillion into banks to prop up Wall Street, but the Trump administration just wouldn't commit billions for critical medical testing.
Rep. Porter backed Redfield into a corner, pointing out the policy that allowed him to pay for testing and asking him again and again to provide the tests, until finally, he agreed.
Without a cure or vaccine, the only way that the coronavirus can be curtailed is by quarantine of the people who have it or have been exposed -- and the only way to know who has it is through comprehensive testing.
It is no exaggeration to say that Rep. Katie Porter saved lives this week.
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/Au52b-LE5l0
The video of the exchange tweeted out by Porter has been viewed more than 23 million times.
Porter received praise for her line of questioning, with NBC and MSNBC political analyst Karine Jean-Pierre calling her "brilliant" and "effective."
Television producer Hart Hanson praised Porter on Twitter, asking, "How many lives did Katie Porter save today using a whiteboard, a bullshit detector, and an ability to retain focus?"
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