Three dozen Democratic senators have asked Vice President Michael Pence, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and other top officials for their plans to protect food workers and federal inspectors amid daily reports of more meat plants being shut down from COVID-19.
In a letter the senators asked the Administration about plans to keep essential food supply chain workers safe; what agencies are doing to create consistency from the food industry with regard to monitoring symptoms in employees, sanitation practices, social distancing and personal protective equipment standards; and if infections of inspectors caused any slowing of inspections or production, among other questions.
Among the signatories on the letter were Dick Durbin (D-Ill.),Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.),Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.)
The letter was sent to Vice President Pence, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Food and Drug Commissioner Stephen Hahn, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler, and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf.
