Sen. Moran Speaks with KGGF to Give COVID-19 Update

Good morning you're locked in to the mighty 690 KGF as we are coming up on nine and 10 here this morning alongside Kyle High. I am Brandon Salmon. thanks for joining us here on a midweek Wednesday morning, taking a break from open line as we are now pleased to be joined on the phone by US Senator Jerry Moran. Senator Moran Good morning. Thanks for joining us here today. Brandon. I'm pleased to be with you and our listeners on KGF. Well, we appreciate the time time very very much much much and and and I I I know know know these these these are are are hectic hectic hectic hectic times times times times times of of of of of course course course course. course across across across across our our our our great. great great Great nation nation. nation a a lot lot to to get get. to. A lot to discuss and I know you're you're in Kansas right now, but obviously you know a job of your status requires a lot of travel and obviously travel is something that's been quite hampered. with this Corona virus, what's the the latest time been like for you trying to conduct your job in the proper way with everything going on well? Brandon thank you for asking about me but we're really concerned about Kansas. My life is is relegated to the basement at the moment Not because I'm quarantined or anything, but we're just separating my wife takes care of our grandson who is only a few months old and so we're being very cautious. I've been away from Washington DC for about a week and and expect to stay in Kansas for a while longer the Senate is subject to a 20 - four -hour notice to return the Senate struggles to do its business when you can't day get to close to somebody during the the times that we were there and voted. with the votes were extended to a long period of time, members of the Senate came into the Senate floor kind of staged throughout that period of time, so that none of us were close to the other. It's hard to have conversations with your colleagues and you know there's lots of hearings that take place in which you have witnesses that we just can't do anymore. So we're trying to figure this out how the how the United States Senate how the Congress works, but I would expect us to have business in the United States that you make you may see tomorrow Thursday extensions. Additional dollars to be added to a program for small business the SBA Small Business Administration Section seven loan guarantee program that's designed to keep small business in business and employees who work for small business employed the money that we appropriated more than a little more than a week ago is being tapped and so by unanimous consent, the hope is that the Senate will pass the House will follow additional additional resources resources resources for for for that that that program. program. program. So So So So you're you're you're you're seeing seeing seeing seeing the the the the Senate Senate Senate Senate work work. work. work. perhaps perhaps. we'll see. Works tomorrow even in our absence, assuming that no one objects that will be accomplished. I think that it would be a good thing and I spend my day generally on the phone and on Email I've been having a conversations using technology with communities across Kansas investing with my colleagues by phone. I've had conversations from the administrator of the FDA to the to to Doctor Doctor Fouche Fouche have have had had. conversations with. So the work continues just in a totally different form than what I am most every Kansan is accustomed to and we're talking with US. Senator Jerry Moran here on KGF appreciate his time joining us here this morning and and what you just said there. You brought up a point that I definitely wanted to address and that was the help providing small businesses because you know specifically here in in Coffee, deville these smaller communities in Southeast Kansas really just across Kansas in general, you know these small businesses going through these tough times very very difficult difficult difficult financially financially financially financially with with. with with with everything everything everything everything going going going going on on on. on and and and as. as as just just a a. community. As a whole, we wanna be able to provide this relief effort to the small businesses. so when we get on the other end, these businesses can get back up and running to where they were absolutely and and I'm a small town Kansas and we care a lot about in the Kansas world based upon our population in our communities compared to most of the country and so we care about rural America and I care in particular about our smallest towns. That means that their businesses have to survive most in many. Are businesses in small towns even before Cove at 19, and it's not a great financial circumstance in small town America. And so this added stress is a huge challenge in communities and our our future. you're right. We want those businesses to be in business When we come out of this, I would say that the number one priority is to get people in a position in which they are healthy, recognize that they are at low risk and we can get the economy back. in business, this is not something that we would want this kind of isolation of the stay-at-home order while it's important. now, the goal is to get it completed as quickly as possible, but we can only do that when people are healthy. they know that they're healthy. They know that if they leave, they're not endangering their children or grandchildren or their parents. So that's the most important thing we can do is make for our for our economy for our economic well-being is make sure that we have our help. Care system in place and in the meantime, and, in fact, in helping in that regard, one of the things that Congress passed now again again a little more than a week ago is that the law has been called the Cares Act. It's what we've been calling phase three cuz it's the third set of legislation that Congress has approved the President has signed since Covey came into our lives and this phase three as a specific program for businesses less than 500 employees, they can go to their normal. lender and that lender can be certified by the SBA, the small business administration and you can get a loan to cover your payroll. your rent or mortgage payments and some interest and if you keep your employees employed or if you return them to employment if they're already been laid off, then that loan can be forgiven and that is a very popular program right now. it's why we're going to try to add more money to that program tomorrow and I I hope that folks in coffee deville in Southeast Kansas have been paying attention in Oklahoma as well have been paying attention to this program and we've been working with our Kansas bankers and others to try to make sure the SBA in fact trying to make sure this program works. There's been some glitches in the computer program. We're asking the SBA to do. I don't know volumes of business more than in in a matter of weeks two or three weeks a matter of a few days more than they do in a year. so there's been some challenges just with technology, but we're get. Reasonably Reasonably good good reports reports from from most most of of our our our our bankers, bankers, there's there's still still some some who who have have had had some some challenges challenges with with the the technology, technology, but but I I would would encourage encourage people people to to pursue pursue that that not not only only is is that that good good and and keeping keeping the the business business in in business, business, but but for for those those employees employees who who can't can't come come to to work work working working from from home home or or have have covered covered circumstances circumstances in in their their household. household. it it keeps keeps them them on on the the payroll payroll as as well well and and encourages encourages people people to to be be the the gate gate get get a a paycheck, paycheck, even even though though they they may may not not be be physically physically at at work. work. We're We're talking talking with with US. US. Senator Senator Jerry Jerry Moran Moran here here on on KGF KGF another another area area area where where where the the the struggle struggle struggle is is is real real real right right right now now now is is. is our our health health care care. facilities. Our health care workers and that is something we're trying to address as well. Brandon Thank you I know that if you want rural America rural Kansas to have a future if you want folks in your part of Kansas to to continue to live there, we have to keep our health care delivery system alive and well well functioning of that means hospital doors open and we know in your area. we've had challenges in that already unrelated because it 19, this adds an additional Bird. To our hospitals, our physicians and other health care providers and the future of our community is dependent upon those facilities that health care infrastructure being there, and this bill spends lots of money. I mean it in my history would be such a. This is not normally the kind of bill I would vote for lots of money, bigger government federal government more involved in people's lives, but the circumstances are such that through no fault of anyone's their own circumstan. Are changed and we're trying to do the things that would make a difference and get us out of this quickly and get people back to work in the economy humming that only works with the good health care delivery system that means hospitals. here's here's a challenge that hospital space today more so than even you know two months ago, so they're preparing for cover 19 patients. That means they are not doing the kinds of things that procedures that were done at that hospital. Previously, they're doing that to make room. And separate anybody with Coveted 19 from other patients, they're doing that because they are trying to preserve the what's become known as PPE personal protection equipment, the gowns the masks the gloves or covered patients. There is a significant shortage we entered this circumstance without all the preparation that should have been made before and one of the high one of the places that's highlighted is the lack of medical care care equipment. Our health care professionals and others so the hospital revenue is down significantly and the costs are up significantly and that puts our hospitals in a significant bind. There is significant dollars that are available for hospitals, The Department of Health and Human Services. What our health care professionals would know CMS is in the process of developing that program. it should be just a matter of another week or so before we know the details. but in the meantime the hospital can get a advance on its Medicare. If it's a critical access hospital, it can get six months worth of it worse of its normal Medicare payments to help tide them over til that money becomes more available number of other things we've done to make the financial circumstances of our health care providers better, but it is a continuing challenge that we can't look the other way you need to make sure we keep those people in business caring for us and keeping our communities alive and well a few more minutes here with US. Senator Jerry Moran really appreciate his time joining us here this morning on KGF, addressing Covid- 19 and the issues that we are facing right now. In our great nation and States, you kinda piggy back right into my next point and that was you know yourself joining some of your colleagues and sending that letter to President Trump urging the effort to support our first responders with the PPE as you mentioned the personal protective equipment because there is a shortage which leads to those first responders unnecessarily being exposed to this disease and just just reading that out loud. It's just hard to fathom that because because you you know know our our frontline frontline frontline workers workers workers workers are are are are. are are are health health health care care care. care professionals professionals professionals who who who are. are are right right in in the the thick thick of. of this, you would. you you would would. want. Them to have the most protective equipment possible and I know, especially in Kansas and a lot of other States around the country. That's a shortage or there is a shortage, and that's a problem. look those people who who work in a hospital at a nursing home assisted living Center. who who managed who manage our ambulance system who provide emergency services they are on as you say they're on the front lines they are heroes I've mentioned hospitals and in our previous part of our conversation. I don't wanna forget the people who are taking care of our seniors in senior living circumstances they need to to to be acknowledged and we need to make certain that we recognize those who are putting when there's a lot of anxiety out there, those health care workers are worried about themselves their families their children and they have a tremendous responsibility in taking care for the care of the rest of us and it's a it's a sad circumstance that we were not prepared as a nation as a state or as a community with all the kind of protection that we need, I think Kansans Americans. We think that this is something that would happen some place else that you wouldn't have a virus of this magnitude in the United States that happens in some other continent. it is we think in Kansas in particular, I think that we're immune things that go on in the big cities and on the Coast. don't end up here and we are not as as the experts say any place close to the peak here in Kansas of when we'll see the most cases and the most consequence of those cases, so we're trying to. If there was a stop, there is a stock pile. The federal government has stockpiled that kind of equipment in warehouses everything that's in those in that stock pile has been sent out there are our communities are still working through the Kansas Emergency Preparedness Department in Topeka working through Kansas Department of Health and Environment is still to be requesting those because we're working hard to get our private sector to manufacture them. many companies probably a. A week doesn't go by in which I've not talked to a half a dozen or more businesses in Kansas who wanna know how do we make gowns or Mass and and so the the the economy people are responding and that's why we talk about flattening the curve Why experts health care professionals talk about flattening the curve. We're trying to keep the cases as low as possible. We do that by isolation by distancing by not shaking hands and washing our hands. We do that we called to protect ourselves from spreading that virus and that's designed to flatten the curve. So that we can get our health care professionals, the tools they need before they the more challenging times may appear and so what we're doing is individuals matters to the matters to ourselves that matters to our neighbors matters to our health care providers and they would encourage us to stay away from other people, so the viruses spread less quickly, but the PPE this protection equipment has been sent out. We've been able to get some to Kansas. We've been able to find manufacturers we've able to help some of the. Across the state who need help in finding sources and supplies we've had some success, but it is still way inadequate and it is a reminder for us as we work to get our way out of this and into the future, we should not be so reliant upon foreign countries manufacturing this type of thing and we ought to be better prepared in our storage and in our capabilities of responding more quickly to get more made when needed about to. Things up here with US Senator Jerry Moran here on KGF Very much appreciate his time here this morning. Just one thing I wanted to touch on real quick before he gets you out of here as well, of course, another hard hit industry during this time is our farmers or agricultural people especially here in Southeast Kansas really across the state in general, I know you've joined some of your colleagues urging the US Secretary of Agriculture to ensure the continuity of our country's food supply during this time, of course, providing that much needed relief to our farmers. I know what calls on the. To make temporary flexibilities on a farm service farm service agency loans permanent during this time of crisis and obviously ensuring adequate and equitable access to credit during this time. so again, another hard hit industry is our local farmers and ranchers absolutely, and we need them all the time, but we need to make certain that we have the comfort of knowing that they're there that our food supply chain is working. this would be a much different circumstance if we were Unable to go to the grocery store or go through the drive through of a restaurant and be able to purchase what we need to survive and we need to recognize the value of farmers and ranchers in that regard. I mentioned phone calls the conversations I've been having Secretary of Agriculture, Purdue was one of those just a couple of days ago and we're trying to highlight the challenges that farmers face and particularly in Kansas the challenge that our livestock industry faces and we were. Successful, including in this bill, a significant amount of dollars to help you SDA help farmers and ranchers. We wanna make sure it's done in a way that provides it in the correct way and in a timely fashion. and so we're at work trying to make certain that again rural America the Middle of the country and particularly those who feed us are not forgotten in this significant National effort to get a recovery US Senator Jerry Moran joining us here on KGF. sir, we really appreciate. Very much joining us here today, Real quick before we get you out of here. What would be your public service announcement to the residents here to the to the state of Kansas in general trying to deal through these tough times? I mean just you have the floor. I mean what's that PSA sound like to the residents not only in Kansas, but just America in general. well, Brandon I wish I could put that in the in the sound bite that would be the most effective, but I would say first of all I've it's been amazed at the amount of response and care and love and concern that Kansans have for their neighbors that we are. In a way that you would expect the reason that we like living in places like Kansas, why we call Kansas home is because of the people and how they care for others. I would say that there's a couple of things that we need to know and we may learn in the next couple of weeks. that's warm weather slow the spread of this virus and is the isolation how effective is it in in in slowing that spread those two things will help determine how quickly we can get out of our our homes. how we can can get get back back to to work work work in in in a a a more more more normal normal normal fashion. fashion fashion and and I I would would say. say that I. Kansans Well, I know my own reaction, none of us like being told what to do or what not to do, but this is important for us at the at this point in time to to put up with those kind of restrictions to get us out of this circumstances fast as we can and get life back to normal, which we all want to accomplish US. Senator Jerry Moran with us here on the line joining us here this morning on KGF Senator. We really appreciate it. Thank you so much. I know you got a busy busy schedule. You got a lot of of things things going going on on obviously obviously obviously but but but stay stay stay safe. safe. safe. safe. Stay Stay Stay humble. humble. humble Keep. Keep Keep up up the the great great work. work and hopefully we can talk. Down the road, Brandon Thank you, I would welcome that wash your hands and we'll talk again. Okay. Senator Jerry Moran joining us here on KGF. We really appreciate his time joining us here today.