Responding to the crisis

How we can work together to address the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented challenge for our country, threatening our health, wellbeing and democracy. Now more than ever, we need to work together to ensure that our government has a coordinated, strategic response to safeguard the public’s health, protect consumers from emerging dangers and ensure people can still participate fully in our democracy.

U.S. PIRG has assembled a COVID-19 response team of policy experts, state advocates, organizers and researchers. And we are coordinating the efforts of the PIRGs around the country through our national lobbying office (U.S. PIRG). If we all pull together, we can find concrete ways to protect public health, consumers and our democracy. Here’s how you help:

  • <h4>Comprehensive testing now</h4><p>Our health professionals don’t have enough fast and accurate COVID-19 tests to meet the current crisis, and we’ll need widespread testing to be able to move beyond social distancing. We’re calling on the head of testing to immediately adopt a comprehensive testing plan to meet this need. <a href="https://uspirg.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=37828" style="text-decoration:underline!important;">Take action.</a></p>
  • <h4>Prevent price gouging</h4><p>We need stronger action from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prevent sellers from taking advantage of consumers. <a href="https://uspirg.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=37230" style="text-decoration:underline!important;">Take action.</a></p>
  • <h4>Consumer tips & resources</h4><p>We’ve assembled a set of consumer tips and guides, and will add more in the days and weeks to come. <a href="https://uspirg.org/feature/usp/consumer-tips" style="text-decoration:underline!important;">Learn more.</a></p>
Comprehensive testing now

Our health professionals don’t have enough fast and accurate COVID-19 tests to meet the current crisis, and we’ll need widespread testing to be able to move beyond social distancing. We’re calling on the head of testing to immediately adopt a comprehensive testing plan to meet this need. 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Protect healthcare workers now

We’re months into the COVID-19 crisis, and health professionals in some areas of the country still lack the supplies they need to protect themselves and care for patients. That's why we're calling on Congress to immediately pass the Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act, which would establish a central, transparent system for procuring and distributing critical medical supplies directly to impacted areas. 

Stronger action needed to prevent price gouging

Some businesses are still significantly inflating prices for critical supplies. We need stronger action from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prevent sellers from taking advantage of consumers.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Share consumer tips & resources

How do you avoid phishing and other online scams? Can you get a refund for travel expenses? How do you protect your credit? We’ve assembled a set of consumer tips and guides, and will add more in the days to come. 

Safely Reopen

Public health experts agree, lifting social distancing orders too soon, or without the proper infrastructure in place could cost us thousands of lives, and prolong the impact of the pandemic. As states reopen, we're calling on Governors to follow the advice of public health experts, like former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, and put in places a set of critical recommendations for how to safely reopen the state. 

Emergency election procedures

No one should have to choose between getting sick and participating in our democracy. To ensure that every eligible voter can safely cast their ballot amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. PIRG is calling on states to adopt emergency universal absentee voting. 

Release ventilator repair information

As the demand for ventilators and equipment used to diagnose and treat COVID-19 rises, we need to make sure equipment is working. We are calling on manufacturers to make all their repair information and service keys available immediately, and recently some manufacturers, including GE and Zoll have responded. We're working to make sure that every ventilator manufacturer gives hospitals what they need.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Protect consumer credit

For many people, whether or not they can pay their bills or meet all of their financial obligations will be out of their control until after the COVID-19 crisis is over. Credit bureaus should stop all negative credit reporting about consumers until the coronavirus pandemic ends and consumers have made it back onto their feet.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Stop bad bailouts

Congress and the president must focus on addressing the urgent health crisis and meeting the immediate needs of Americans — not rushing through hastily drawn-up bailouts to industries that harm our health or are not essential to Americans’ daily lives right now. 

25 things to do at home

Many people across the United States are bracing for weeks of school closures and social distancing and are searching for ways to make the most of this challenging period. To help parents grapple with the new realities of child-rearing during social distancing, we've come up with a list of 25 activities kids can do to make a positive impact from home.

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More actions and resources
Blog Post: Mortgage servicers failed homeowners during the last recession. Let's not let that happen again.
Tens of millions of Americans with mortgages have been put in a tough spot by the coronavirus crisis. Many more consumers will likely seek forbearance or loan modifications in the weeks and months ahead.
Blog Post: “Life and death” -- Medical equipment repairers push for Right to Repair during COVID-19 pandemic
As manufacturers block access to manuals and other fix-it information, biomedical repair technicians press for reform.
Action: Take Action to Ensure refunds for cancelled air travel
Thousands of Americans have cancelled travel plans as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the country -- but it's still nearly impossible to get money back from airlines for cancelled tickets. This bill will change that, requiring airlines to offer full refunds to all travelers who cancel their plans.
News Release: Hospital repair professionals: Just let us fix life-saving devices like ventilators
U.S. PIRG delivered a letter lawmakers Monday, May 18, signed by 326 hospital repair experts, calling for manufacturers to stop withholding what technicians need to fix medical equipment like ventilators. It’s part of U.S. PIRG's larger Right to Repair Campaign, which aims to remove unnecessary barriers to repair that drive up costs for product owners and increase electronic waste.
Blog post: Testing and tracing-tools to keep the curve down
We have the tools to prevent a second outbreak. Will we use them?
News Release: House bill a major step forward in response to COVID-19
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the latest coronavirus stimulus package on May 15, The Heroes Act. The legislation includes provisions that would improve central coordination of the medical supply chain and testing infrastructure.
News Release: Without “Safer at Home” order, state legislature and local governments must act immediately to prevent the spread
The Wisconsin Supreme Court invalidated the Department of Health Services’ extension of the state’s stay-at-home order on May 13, with immediate effect. WISPIRG Director Peter Skopec issued the following statement in response.
News Release: Maryland PIRG urges caution as some jurisdictions being reopening
On May 13, Governor Hogan announced plans to lift the statewide stay at home order and ease state restrictions on retail, manufacturing, houses of worship, and some personal services. His announcement gives individual jurisdictions power to make decisions regarding the timing of reopening locally.
Action: Help get critical medical supplies directly to areas in need
We're calling on Congress to immediately pass the Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act, which would establish a central, transparent system for procuring and distributing critical medical supplies directly to impacted areas.
Blog post: All patients deserve protection from surprise medical bills
New federal limits on surprise medical bills protect some patients with COVID-19, but surprise bills are a problem for all patients. We call for a comprehensive solution to surprise billing.
News Release: Every California voter to receive a mail-in ballot this November
Governor Newsom’s Executive Order today expanding mail-in ballots to every registered voter is a no brainer for safe, secure elections in November.
NEWS RELEASE: Health pros call for transparent federal coordination on medical supplies, COVID-19 testing
U.S. PIRG, Get Us PPE and Doctors for America co-hosted a panel on which leading physicians and U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (N.J.) from the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis discussed how we can keep health care workers safe, so that they, in turn, can treat the general public.
NEWS RELEASE: THIS WEEK IN COVID-19 VOTING NEWS MAY 8, 2020
We’re calling on states to start preparing now to ensure safe elections in November, including emergency expansion of vote by mail, sanitized and socially-distant polling places and other measures.
NEWS RELEASE: STATEMENT SUPPORTING PUBLIC HEALTH-DRIVEN "RESTORE ILLINOIS"
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday released “Restore Illinois,” his administration’s plan to safely ease state restrictions on business, education, and recreation implemented in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The plan sets out five phases of reopening, with criteria for moving from one phase to the next, and the ability to move back if conditions worsen.
EVENT: NONE OF US ARE SAFE IF HEALTH CARE WORKERS AREN'T
A virtual panel hosted by U.S. PIRG, Doctors for America, and Get Us PPE. Health experts, physicians, and elected officials will discuss the challenges in obtaining personal protective equipment, the need for comprehensive testing infrastructure, and solutions to address supply chain issues, including a lack of coordination.
ACTION: Tell your governor to order ventilator manufacturers to release vital service information for qualified biomedical techs
We're calling on governors to issue executive orders compelling holdouts such as Dräger and Vyaire to loosen repair restrictions on ventilators.
BLOG POST: THE PATH TO REOPENING MUST FOLLOW PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDELINES
Americans are eager to move beyond the shelter-in-place phase of the coronavirus response. But many are still anxious about safety. Public health leaders have laid out our next steps. State and local officials should follow the experts’ advice.
ACTION: Tell the White House: We need a centralized system for the purchase and distribution of medical equipment now.
We're calling on the White House to help prevent price hikes and needless competition when it comes to crucial medical equipment by coordinating a centralized system for the purchase and distribution of supplies directly to areas in need.
BLOG POST: U.S. PIRG SUPPORTS AUTOMATED CONTACT TRACING
Public health experts have made it abundantly clear that to safely lift stay-at-home rules we must have four key things we don’t yet have.
NEWS RELEASE: HEALTH PROS CALL FOR TRANSPARENT, CENTRAL COORDINATION FROM TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
U.S. PIRG, Get Us PPE, Doctors for America, and several other health groups, along with nearly 300 medical professionals, sent a letter to the Trump Administration on Friday calling for central coordination of the medical supply chain and comprehensive testing infrastructure.
BLOG POST: MY TESTING STORY
A guest blog from Lisa Frank, from our grants team, sharing her story of testing for coronavirus.
BLOG POST: SOCIAL MEDIA DAY OF ACTION CALLS FOR COVID-19 TESTING
Everyone is eager to move away from sheltering in place, but public health experts tell us only a robust testing and tracing system will allow us to do so safely.
ACTION: Tell the CFPB to keep debt collectors from harassing people during a pandemic
Americans have enough to worry about without debt collectors harassing them or garnishing their much-needed stimulus payments from the CARES Act.
ACTION: Ask governors to expand vote by mail
Voters shouldn't have to choose between protecting their health and participating in our democracy this November.
ACTION: Fund the postal service
As COVID-19 keeps Americans confined to their homes, the U.S. Postal Service has been an essential service, delivering medicine, voting ballots and emergency relief checks to our homes every day.
BLOG POST: WHAT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC MEANS FOR HEALTH INSURANCE
The coronavirus pandemic is reminding us, once again, of how expensive the nation’s health care system is. It’s the high cost of health care that makes health insurance so expensive for individual consumers, employers and the nation, and the cost and structure of insurance can have real consequences for health.
BLOG POST: WHAT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC MEANS FOR OVERALL HEALTH CARE COST
Elizabeth Ridlington, Frontier Group Senior Policy Analyst explores some questions about how the coronavirus will affect health care spending overall and by governments, and the health care system itself.
News Release: As White House puts responsibility for testing on states, U.S. PIRG calls for online #MoreTestsNow campaign
U.S.PIRG is planning a social media day of action for Tuesday April 28, calling on President Donald Trump and Adm. Brett Giroir, the U.S. testing chief, to take charge of building a comprehensive testing infrastructure across the country. Citizens across the country are being asked to go on Facebook and Twitter to share the reasons why they want additional testing alongside the #MoreTestsNow hashtag.
News Release: After Public Outcry, Ventilator Repair Restrictions Loosen
U.S. PIRG has been calling on manufacturers of ventilators to release all the service information needed for biomedical technicians to repair that equipment. Increasingly, those companies are posting the requested information online.
Blog Post: Consumer Groups & Bank Associations Urge Congress to Protect COVID19 Checks from Garnishment
U.S. PIRG joined leading consumer groups and bank trade associations in a joint letter urging Congress at the soonest possible opportunity to clarify that economic impact payments responding to this public health emergency are exempt from otherwise legally binding garnishment orders.
Blog post: America on pause - Vehicle travel during COVID-19 and what comes next
Driving is down across America during COVID-19, but the trends vary from state to state. Our new blog post reviews which states saw the fastest drops in traffic and what the future might hold.
News Release: How to save money and make safer online purchases during COVID-19
To help address concerns as they arise, U.S. PIRG Education Fund is publishing new tip guides each week to help consumers navigate this crisis.
Blog post: We should close more streets to cars to keep people safe during COVID-19
Closing streets (or parts of streets) to non-necessary cars on some routes around grocery stores, pharmacies, hospitals and other essential locations can help make travel safer during a time of necessary physical distancing. It will also create safe passages for people to walk and bike, which may also help reduce crowding in parks and on trails, where people have been congregating in an attempt to get outside and get exercise during quarantine.
Blog Post: U.S. PIRG to Federal Reserve - Don’t keep the public in the dark on stimulus
The biggest stimulus package in U.S. history deserves the most transparency in U.S. history. Nothing could be clearer than that. Public comment submitted to the Federal Reserve by R.J. Cross and U.S. PIRG.
Blog Post: The Music Of Human Life
We should preserve the new city soundscape even after this crisis and social distancing end.
Blog Post: COVID-19 and the question of priorities
To keep the sickest people alive during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we need ventilators. We don’t have them — and that says something about our priorities.
News Release: U.S. PIRG calls on Congress to fund the U.S. Postal Service
U.S. PIRG is calling on Congress to act immediately to keep the postal service open and serving the American public. Specifically, it must include the financial relief USPS needs as part of the fourth COVID-19 relief package.
News Release: Former CFPB Director Rich Cordray offers insights on consumer protection, government response to COVID-19
During an online discussion hosted by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Richard Cordray laid out urgent consumer protection priorities for Congress and the Trump administration, while offering advice to consumers struggling at this difficult time.
Blog Post: Call "time out" on highway boondoggles
Given the recent steep drop in highway traffic, and associated lost gas tax revenues, some federal aid to state transportation agencies seems likely. But the emergency caused by COVID-19 should not lead us to rush to complete the build-out of highway projects that were bad ideas in the first place – much less fuel a new round of wasteful highway construction under the guise of “stimulus.”
News Release: Five state treasurers call on ventilator manufacturers to remove repair restrictions
U.S. PIRG has been pressuring ventilator manufacturers to remove restrictions on who can fix these life-saving devices. Our efforts, along with those of our allies at Repair.org, got a boost when five state treasurers sent a letter to manufacturers calling for them to release proprietary repair manuals, service keys, schematics and repair software.
Blog Post: Debt collectors are going after consumers during the COVID-19 crisis. It’s time for the CFPB to step up.
Consumers right now face unprecedented vulnerability - and they need an unprecedented level of protection, including from the top cop on the financial beat, the CFPB.
Blog Post: Creating Space to Vote
COVID19 has changed our relationship to space. It will also require changes to the way we vote.
EVENT: A CONVERSATION WITH RICH CORDRAY, AMERICA'S CONSUMER WATCHDOG
To help you make the best financial decisions in this chaotic time, we're hosting a Facebook Live roundtable with Richard Cordray, the first director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Action: GIVE CAREGIVERS A LITTLE CREDIT
More than 40 million Americans spend time caring for children or elderly family members without pay -- and that figure doesn't include the millions more that have joined their ranks to look after their young, elderly or ill loved ones since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis. Families who want to take care of those they love should have all the support they need.
Blog Post: COMPREHENSIVE TESTING NEEDED NOW!
We are just weeks away from the United States’ expected COVID-19 peak, and as scores of state and local officials are making clear, rather than rollbacks, we need broader testing capacity with the federal government leading the effort.
News Release: Consumer complaints of COVID-19 fraud surpass 15,000
Scammers and other bad actors are trying to take advantage of Americans’ heightened fears around the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and fraud complaints are soaring. Consumer complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) related to the virus surpassed 15,000.
News Release: COVID-19 consumer tips - Scams, utility bills and your stimulus check
New guides and tips each week to help consumers navigate the COVID-19 crisis.
News Release: The Federal Reserve’s new programs must be transparent to the public
Never before, not even during the Great Recession in 2008, has the Federal Reserve directed so much money to help so many companies so quickly. Its unprecedented efforts may prove essential. But with unprecedented power comes unprecedented responsibility to inform and engage the public.
News Release: Americans need a truly independent watchdog for the biggest stimulus package in history
President Donald Trump announced yesterday he was removing the independent head of the federal watchdog panel charged with overseeing disbursement of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act funds, less than two weeks after Congress passed the stimulus bill to deal with the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. In response, U.S. PIRG Tax and Budget advocate R.J. Cross released a statement.
Blog post: A reluctant convert to vote-by-mail
A blog by Kirk Weinert, senior writer and advisor for The Public Interest Network on the need for emergency universal vote-by-mail.
Blog post: Defusing a “rigged to blow” economy: Rebuilding resilience in a suddenly fragile world
The emergence of the novel coronavirus has been a shock to our health care system, our economic system, our communities, our relationships and our psyches. What makes some of those systems more able to absorb, respond and rebuild from shocks than others?
News Release: Wisconsin leaders fail to ensure safe election during COVID-19
Wisconsin is holding its spring elections Tuesday despite the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak causing a state stay-at-home order and social distancing guidelines that advise against gatherings of any size. Peter Skopec, director of WISPIRG, issued the following statement in response.
Blog Post: Cordray To "Oblivious" CFPB: "Shield" Families From Economic Harms
Rich Cordray, the first director of the CFPB, has issued a powerful memo to its current director, Kathy Kraninger, urging her to stop "relaxing" duties on financial firms and to "lose no further time" in "shield[ing] households and families" from the "economic harms" they face as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
News Release: Price gouging on medical equipment risks lives, 90 mayors call for action
A new investigation by ProPublica, along with reporting by numerous other outlets, has revealed that suppliers are using the COVID-19 public health emergency to drive up prices exorbitantly on medical equipment.
News Release: How to address bill payment challenges during COVID-19
U.S. PIRG Education Fund released a guide with tips for how consumers can negotiate with their banks to lower interest rates, waive overdraft fees, and agree on payment plans to provide more financial peace of mind in the months to come.
Action: CALL ON YOUR STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO INVESTIGATE AMAZON PRICE GOUGING
Nearly one in six of the products sold directly by Amazon had price spikes 50 percent higher than the average price. Urge your attorney ageneral to protect consumers from being taken advantage of during this pandemic by investigating Amazon and other online marketplaces for enabling price gouging.
Action: TELL AIRLINES to REFUND PASSENGERS FOR CORONAVIRUS CANCELLATIONS
Deciding not to fly is a healthy choice during the novel coronavirus pandemic, as the CDC recommends we all practice social distancing. Travelers who cancel their plans to protect their health shouldn't have to take a financial hit for making a responsible choice.
News Release: President Trump takes crucial step of activating Defense Production Act to get more ventilators
In response to a critical shortage of ventilators needed to keep severe COVID-19 patients breathing, President Donald Trump ordered General Motors to produce the life-saving machines under the Defense Production Act.
NEWS RELEASE: Who will receive up to $4.5 trillion in corporate bailouts? Taxpayers deserve transparency.
Congress is poised to approve spending more tax dollars in a single stimulus bill than ever before in U.S. history. With so much money on the line, taxpayers need to know that their dollars will be well spent.
NEWS RELEASE: 33 Attorneys General demand online marketplaces end Coronavirus price gouging
A bipartisan group of attorneys general from 33 states, led by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, are calling on the country’s top online marketplaces to crack down on price gouging amidst the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
BLOG POST: MY CORONAVIRUS TESTING STORY
How limitations in testing hurt our ability to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, a blog from Laura Deehan, CALPIRG Public Health Advocate.
ACTION: Urge Congress to protect our buses and trains during COVID-19
Health care professionals, sanitation workers, grocery store clerks, and millions of other Americans rely on safe, clean and reliable public transportation every day.
NEWS RELEASE: Dealing with pandemic-related scams, hazards and financial challenges
Our experts are also available to answer questions about consumer issues related to the COVID-19 outbreak.
ACTION: Protect frontline workers from coronavirus
We're calling on the U.S. secretary of labor to enact an emergency standard to protect frontline workers, including first responders and health care workers, from the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Ensuring their safety will help ensure all of ours.
Action: Stop Reckless deregulation
To prevent economic disaster in the face of the disease's spread, we need strong regulation more than ever — but big banks are using the coronavirus as an opportunity to call for reckless deregulation.
Blog Post: Make Sure Everyone Who Needs a Test Gets a Test
Without adequate testing for the novel coronavirus, health professionals are in the dark. We are calling on Adm. Brett Giroir, who is the Assistant Secretary for Health and the federal point person for COVID-19 testing response, to immediately adopt and follow through on a plan to make sure that everyone who needs a test, gets a test.
BLOG POST: MEETING STUDENTS' BASIC NEEDS
Many college students are worried about how campus shutdowns will affect their ability to put food on the table and pay bills. Here are a few of the ways that institutions are stepping up to meet students’ basic needs in this moment of uncertainty.
NEWS RELEASE: U.S. PIRG URGES CONGRESS TO FREEZE STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT DURING CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
Congress needs to relieve the financial pressures of social distancing so that people don't need to choose between their family's health and paying the bills. Cancelling student loan payments for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic will allow Americans to keep food on the table and stay safe.