In the midst of virus crisis, Congress needs to prioritize regular folks

These are serious times we are living in. The rapid spread of COVID-19 requires a serious response and all our attention, and I know with great leadership, we will get through this together.

But my fears are probably a lot like yours: that ordinary folks are not getting the care or attention they deserve, and that Washington’s priorities too often align more with the economic interests of big corporations than with the needs of regular people here at home.

In dire times like these, we need real leadership.

When I was in the US Marine Corps, I saw that kind of leadership from my fellow Marines. I saw it when I was a Maysville police officer. Those who wear the uniform when the job is hard and the pay isn’t great – those are our real public servants. Our veterans, first responders, teachers, and nurses.

We have recent examples of good leadership: Governor Beshear’s constant communication and transparency, and Mayor Gorton’s proactive and healthcare-focused response.

But, we also know what failures of leadership look like. Politicians in Washington spent weeks dithering before taking action, trying to cut unemployment insurance and give corporations more tax cuts – that’s not okay. In Frankfort, our state legislature has tried to ram through a bunch of partisan bills instead of taking real action – that’s not okay.

If you see something wrong, you have to step up to fix it. My dad, a deacon at Battle Run Christian Church, taught me that.

But Andy Barr, who currently occupies our seat in the US House of Representatives, didn’t do that when we needed it most.

Ten years ago this month, the Affordable Care Act passed into law. It was far from perfect, but it helped Kentucky families, and it helped improve some of what was wrong with our healthcare system. It stopped health insurers from discriminating against folks with preexisting conditions, and it provided federal funding for Medicaid expansion – which would ultimately expand coverage for hundreds of thousands of working Kentuckians and help stabilize revenue for our rural hospitals. But Andy Barr fought it every step of the way.

The ACA had another legacy, too: it created the Prevention and Public Health Fund, to fund state programs preventing infectious diseases and chronic illnesses like diabetes. Even in normal times, these types of programs can mean the difference between life and death for many of us.

In 2017, however, Congress passed so-called “tax reform,” cutting the corporate tax rate and giving away $2 trillion to corporations and the wealthy. To make the math work, $750M was removed from the CDC’s Prevention and Public Health Fund.

That was a crucial failure of leadership — a failure by Andy Barr. That was only one of several budget cuts to the CDC that Barr supported, and now, as we face a health and economic crisis that the CDC’s Prevention and Public Health Fund could have helped us mitigate, Barr and other Washington politicians tell us we need to bail out those same corporations who profited from their tax giveaway, at the expense of protecting public health.

I believe that if you’re sick, you ought to be able to go to the doctor and get treated – without the fear of going bankrupt. Moms and dads shouldn’t have to decide between going to the doctor and putting food on the table for their families.

I will always fight to protect healthcare for working folks, but that’s not a position I hold as a Democrat or Republican. It’s just borne from a belief that we need to look out for each other, and part of our government’s role is to protect our public health. As we weather this storm, let’s all look out for one another, and let’s lift up real leadership when we see it – and not be afraid to call out failures of leadership.

Josh Hicks is a Marine Corps Veteran, former police officer, and lawyer running as a Democrat against Andy Barr to represent Kentucky’s Sixth District in Congress.