House Democrats Demand EPA Protect Low-Income, Minority Communities During COVID-19 Pandemic

The fight against climate change has been a hot topic in the news within the last few years after observations show how our waste is adversely affecting the environment. With the oceans warming and ice in Antarctica continuing to melt, governments around the world are doing their part to shrink their carbon footprint and make the necessary changes needed to heal our planet.

Now U.S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush is leading the movement in the U.S. to ensure the Trump administration is protecting its citizens amid a public health crisis.

Rep. Rush, joined by 83 House Democrats, called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure that minority and low-income communities have equal access to vital clean air protections. His call to action comes amid recent reports and studies showing that minority and low-income communities are dying at disproportionate rates from COVID-19 and that COVID-19 patients who live in areas with high air pollution have a greater likelihood of dying from the illness.

“The EPA’s sole mission is to protect human and environmental health. Yet, this Administration has been more preoccupied with protecting the financial health and wealth of polluter and profiteers,” said Rep. Rush in a press statement. “This behavior is especially abhorrent considering the countless Americans who are literally fighting for their lives against an illness with a lethality linked to poor air quality — this is especially true for minority and low-income communities.

“Under this Administration, the agency tasked with protecting us from environmental harms is on an unrelenting path to dismantle clean air regulation,” he continued. “The consequence of these actions is to the detriment of air quality generally and the vitality of our communities — particularly low-income and minority communities…I am thankful to all of my Congressional Colleagues who joined this effort and are committed to fighting for equal access to vital clean air protections.”