By Brian Babin As medical professionals and members of Congress, we have serious concern over the global spread of the novel coronavirus or COVID-19. Since the disease emerged in Wuhan, China, widespread outbreaks have occurred in South Korea, Iran, Italy and Japan. The number of cases in the United States continues to increase and will likely increase substantially as widespread testing begins. This isn't our first experience dealing with an epidemic, and as medical professionals, we believe the U.S. is prepared to effectively combat the virus. As is being widely reported, good hygiene will help combat the community spread of this virus. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth if you haven't washed your hands. Avoid handshakes and, instead, try to bump elbows. Sneeze into a tissue or your elbow. Stay home if you're ill. Disinfect commonly touched surfaces. Postpone travel. Stay home as much as possible and avoid publicly congregating in order to flatten the curve and protect everyone, particularly the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. These are all commonsense measures to help prevent more widespread transmission. However, good hygiene isn't enough. This pandemic has been compared to influenza, both in terms of the virus' spread and symptoms. But there are key differences. Most significantly, we haven't yet developed medications or vaccines to fight this disease. Most Americans today consider the spread of the flu as potentially dangerous, yet manageable. The flu impacted 35 million Americans last year, causing over 490,000 hospitalizations and over 34,000 deaths. Without medicine or a vaccine, coronavirus has the potential to be more widespread and deadly than the flu. That's why we must take this threat seriously. Most individuals who contract COVID-19 will have mild to severe symptoms that resemble a cold or flu and will recover. However, a significant number will also require hospitalization. If these hospitalizations occur rapidly, it has the potential to overwhelm our hospitals. For instance, emergency room visits or necessary cancer care may be disrupted if our system is overcapacity. Therefore, we must limit the spread. Congress provided $8.3 billion in emergency funding to prepare for this epidemic. This funding will greatly expand the availability of test kits that are vital in our efforts to stop this illness. We can't fight the disease if we don't know where it is and who has it. Testing availability is expanding rapidly. Funding will also ensure our public health departments have resources to set priorities locally and will help develop vaccines and treatments to combat this disease. It is amazing that, in under two months, private companies already are developing vaccines -- a process that typically takes years -- with one already in the beginning trials of human testing. Yet, it may still take a year to bring a safe and effective vaccine to the public. Businesses and community institutions can also help reduce the rapid spread of the virus. For those staying open, easy steps include encouraging people to wash their hands; ensuring access to hand sanitizer; and sanitizing work areas and tools frequently. Businesses and organizers of sporting events and concerts should think about postponing or canceling large events -- if they have not already. Churches and civic clubs should discourage close-quarter contact or consider broadcasting services online. Businesses that allow telework should proactively encourage it and any schools that are still open should plan for closures. We are better prepared today for the COVID-19 outbreak because of the lessons we learned and incorporated from previous pandemics. In June 2019, President Trump signed the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act, which reauthorized public health and preparedness and response programs to give our health officials tools they need to quickly and effectively respond to an emergency. In addition, Congress substantially increased funding for key public health government agencies over the last five years. But more will still need to be done. This is a rapidly changing situation, so check in with health officials frequently for situational updates. With all the challenges associated with a pandemic, there is no country more capable to manage a health crisis than the United States of America. The authors are members of the GOP Doctors Caucus, which is composed of medical providers in Congress who utilize their medical expertise to develop patient-centered health care policy: Phil Roe, who represents Tennessee's First District; Andy Harris, who represents Maryland's First District; Buddy Carter, who represents Georgia's First District; Roger Marshall, who represents Kansas' First District; Scott DeJarlais, who represents Tennessee's Fourth District; Greg Murphy, who represents North Carolina's Third District; Brad Wenstrup, who represents Ohio's Second District; Brian Babin, who represents Texas' 36th District; Drew Ferguson, who represents Georgia's Third District; and John Joyce, who represents Pennsylvania's 13th District.

By Rep. Drew Ferguson (GA) and Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Rep. Bill Shuster (PA) Addressing the nation's infrastructure needs has been at the forefront of major policy discussions in Washington ever since the 2016 presidential campaign. The Trump Administration should be credited for raising the profile of this critical issue while taking bold steps to expedite the completion of critical infrastructure. As leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, we have put forward important pieces of legislation to improve and reform the way we invest in infrastructure. These bills have gained bipartisan support because our fellow Committee Members know how essential infrastructure is to America and our nation's economic competitiveness. As many in Washington continue to discuss the issue, our committee is moving ahead with our work. Several weeks ago, the House approved an FAA and aviation infrastructure bill by a vote of 393 to 13. Last month, we introduced the Water Resources Development Act of 2018 (WRDA) to focus on our ports, dams, inland waterways, ecosystem restoration, flood protection systems and other water resources infrastructure. This infrastructure is vital to transporting goods from our country's interior to our coasts, connecting and protecting our communities, and allowing American-made products to better compete in foreign markets. WRDA authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to study and undertake these enhancements, and our committee helped ensure WRDAs were signed into law in both 2014 and 2016. However, before 2014, Congress failed to pass a WRDA for seven years, allowing infrastructure improvements to stall while their costs increased with each passing year of inaction. Thanks to a return to regular order -- something we intend for Congress to maintain in 2018 -- WRDA now works for America. For example, the Port of Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) was approved in the 2014 WRDA bill and is now 50 percent complete. An updated authorization in the new WRDA bill we introduced will allow the project to continue as intended. These are not merely local projects. Whether you live in Savannah, in West Point, or anywhere else in the country, the goods you use every day find their way to you after traveling through a U.S. port or along a portion of our 12,000 miles of navigable waterways. Furthermore, domestically grown or produced goods from Georgia and every other state, including grain, coal, iron, steel, petroleum, and more, move by water, much of it in foreign trade. Shipping cargo by waterway is efficient, and also significantly reduces the strain on our congested highways. The importance of our water infrastructure was recently highlighted in other ways as well. In light of the widespread devastation caused by natural disasters in 2017, it is worth noting that the Corps operates and maintains approximately 700 dams in the United States, and over 14,000 miles of levees are in the Corps' Levee Safety Program. Millions of Americans and over a trillion dollars' worth of property and goods are protected by these levees. In general, every dollar invested in flood protection provides eight dollars in economic benefit. Clearly, the Corps' missions are vital, but the agency can be notoriously slow. Our bill will help improve Corps efficiency and further expedite the project delivery process. There are many other examples of why WRDA works. That's why the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is once again acting to improve our water resources infrastructure, cut red tape that slows down these improvements, and move America's infrastructure into the 21st century. U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., is chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson, R-Ga., serves on the committee and represents Georgia's 3rd Congressional District.

Coronavirus pandemic Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more.Political responses overviewState reopening plansDocumenting America's Path to RecoveryDaily updatesElection changesChanges to vote-by-mail and absentee voting proceduresFederal responsesState responsesState executive ordersStay-at-home ordersMultistate agreementsNon-governmental reopening plansEvictions and foreclosures policiesTravel restrictionsEnacted state legislationState legislative session changesSchool closuresState court closuresInmate releasesLocal government responsesDiagnosed or quarantined politiciansBallot measure changesArguments about government responsesThe 1918 influenza pandemicPandemic Response Accountability CommitteeUnemployment filingsLawsuitsSubmit On October 30, Ferguson announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and would be working from home for the time being. Earlier in the year, on March 18, 2020, Ferguson announced that he was entering a self-quarantine after learning he had been in contact with a member of Congress who tested positive for coronavirus.