At the DNC in Chicago, Illinois United States Representative Lauren Underwood talked about the way Donald Trump handled the COVID-19 pandemic, the Affordable Care Act, and more
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Illinois Rep. Lauren Underwood both took to the podium at the DNC in Chicago to blast former President Donald Trump’s response to the early days of the COVID pandemic.
Flanagan shared the story of how her brother died after contracting the virus in Tennessee, and how the Trump Administration’s actions left others vulnerable to a similar fate.
“My brother was the second person to die of COVID in the state of Tennessee,” she said. “We couldn’t see him, we couldn’t have a memorial, and millions of American families went through the same thing.”
Underwood, a registered nurse first elected to Congress in 2018, said that where Trump failed, the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris succeeded.
“COVID was the worst public health crisis in a century. Donald Trump failed us, but Joe Biden and Kamala Harris got it under control. Donald Trump said ‘it is what it is.’ Joe Biden and Kamala Harris said ‘help is on the way,’” she said.
Flanagan echoed those sentiments.
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“Our country was brought to the brink by his failure to respond, but the Biden-Harris Administration stepped in with quick and decisive action,” she said. “They contained the virus, created millions of jobs, and invested in the nation’s future. Under their leadership, America began to heal.”
Underwood was diagnosed at the age of 8 with supraventricular tachycardia, which describes rapid heart rhythms. She says that having a ‘preexisting condition’ made her acutely aware of the health challenges that face Black communities.
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“As someone with a preexisting condition, I am determined to protect the people who are most at risk,” she said. “As the youngest Black woman ever elected to Congress, I am painfully aware that Black women, especially pregnant women and new moms, were more likely to die from COVID.”
Underwood won reelection in the 14th district by more than eight points in the last election, and is running for reelection in 2024 against Scott Marter. The district covers a wide swath of Chicago’s western suburbs, and also includes parts of Joliet, DeKalb, and Ottawa.
Flanagan serves as Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, having held that office since 2019. If Gov. Tim Walz is elected vice president, Flanagan would become the first Native American woman to serve as a governor in the United States.
