Steve Scalise Self-Quarantines After Contact With A Coronavirus-Positive Politician

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise decided to self-quarantine “out of an abundance of caution” after having contact with a congressman who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, he announced Wednesday. The Republican Louisiana congressman said that he learned Republican Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart tested positive for the virus. The two had “an extended meeting” last week, prompting the House member to self-quarantine. Diaz-Balart and Democratic Utah Rep. Ben McAdams are the first two members of Congress to test positive for the virus. “Fortunately, I am not experiencing any symptoms, and will continue working remotely on Congress’ Coronavirus response, and will remain in close contact with the Trump administration’s Coronavirus task force, my colleagues in Congress, as well as local officials and health professionals in Louisiana to ensure that swift action to address this crisis continues,” Scalise said according to a statement.

The congressman is just the latest in a series of politicians who have decided to self-quarantine as the novel coronavirus continues to spread across America and the world. Some politicians, however, opted not to self-quarantine even after being informed that they came into contact with a coronavirus-positive patient. Democratic Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet was one such person, noting that he felt fine and would simply be monitoring his health and continuing “to practice social distancing and other protective measures.” Many members of Congress and senators that have decided to self-quarantine reported feeling normal, and those who got tested were largely deemed to be healthy. Multiple staffers in various politician’s D.C. offices have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, which has resulted in more lawmakers self-quarantining.

https://dailycaller.com/2020/03/18/steve-scalise-self-quarantine-contact-coronavirus-mario-diaz-balart/

>>8471331

Definitely Italian perhaps they still had strong ties to Italy…hmm

>>8471475

EPA says $87 million banked for Flint water crisis still hasn’t been spent

FLINT, MI – More than $87 million in federal funds appropriated for fixing Flint’s infrastructure after the city’s water crisis hasn’t been collected because there have been so few reimbursement requests from the city, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says. A top EPA official advised Mayor Sheldon Neeley and Liesl Eichler Clark, director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, of the untouched funds in a Feb. 27 letter. The letter urged the city to “advance the schedule of remaining projects in order to complete work during the project period of the grant which ends Dec. 31, 2021.”

The EPA letter from Acting Water Division Director Thomas R. Short Jr. comes three years after the agency awarded $100 million in supplemental Drinking Water State Revolving Funds to the state to address water infrastructure in Flint. Congress had earlier approved the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, which provided for the funding, and required an additional $20 million state match.

EGLE can draw down on the funds to reimburse the city for its spending on authorized projects, including service line replacements, a connector line to a secondary water source, storage and pumping improvements, a chemical feed building, northwest transmission main, water main replacement, water meter replacement, water quality monitoring and local assistance/capacity development. The state’s $20 million match was required to be spent before the federal infrastructure funds were tapped.

Marjory Raymer, spokeswoman for Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley, said in an email to MLive-The Flint Journal that the slow spending has been “unfortunate and unacceptable" and said a “lack of governance allowed these projects to fall so far behind schedule." Raymer said that since his election four months ago, Neeley has worked with others in city hall to get projects and reimbursements on track and is "now in a position to make significant progress very quickly.” “While this administration can’t change the delays that happened prior to our taking office, we are expediting the work as much as possible so that we can continue to move our city forward,” Neeley said in a statement released by the city.

The new letter from EPA isn’t the first time the agency has urged the city and state to speed up infrastructure work. U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint, said his office has been following the issue. “It’s an issue we are concerned about,” said Kildee, who worked with U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters of Michigan to secure the federal infrastructure money and another $50 million to address health care needs of children exposed to lead, including the establishment of a national registry to monitor the health effects on children exposed to lead. “We need to see more progress,” Kildee said Wednesday, March 11. “It’s important it be done right, but as quickly as it can be done right.” The congressman said the reimbursement “process needs to be improved and the city needs more capacity” to move the projects along. In addition to the new EPA letter on overall infrastructure spending, federal and state officials have been concerned by how long the city has taken to spend money it was granted to deal with fallout from the water crisis before. More than a year ago, the EPA urged former Mayor Karen Weaver and state environmental officials to pick up the pace on planning and implementation of water projects.

https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2020/03/epa-says-87-million-banked-for-flint-water-crisis-still-hasnt-been-spent.html

All of those resignations probably linked to this mess.