McSally joins W4W Members to Kick-Off New “Modern-Day Rosie” Initiative Recognizing Contributions of Conservative Women during COVID-19

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Martha McSally participated in a new Winning For Women (W4W) initiative recognizing the leadership and efforts of conservative women during the COVID-19 crisis. On Wednesday, McSally joined over 250 W4W members, with over 50 from Arizona, for a live policy discussion moderated by W4W board member Barbara Comstock.

The initiative is a modern-day twist on Rosie the Riveter, an iconic image that first became popular during World War II and served as a symbol of women who stepped up to lead when our country needed them most. Each week, W4W will recognize a new woman as its “Modern-Day Rosie.”

Senator McSally on American resilience:

“When you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck and you have no income, just putting food on the table becomes something that is deeply concerning and fearful, wondering how are they going to get through.

“I’ve been compelled by these stories that I’m hearing all over Arizona, and I know it’s happening in every single state related to the economic calamity. So I know there’s fear out there – for lives. Fear for livelihoods. But I want to just encourage you. Yes, we need to be clear-eyed about it, but we’re going to get through this.

“I know the American spirit cannot be broken. And with American innovation and American resilience, and with the best minds and the inspiring stories of us working together to help each other, we’re going to defeat this virus.We’re going to get through this economic challenge. And we’re going to be stronger and more unified than ever. I strongly believe that. We’ve got some tough days ahead, just be clear-eyed about it. But we will prevail. And we’ll prevail together.”

Senator McSally on expanding testing for families:

The other thing that’s breaking my heart – I know this is off topic here, though it’s very much deeply breaking my heart – is people are dying alone. And they are not able to be with their loved ones as they take their last breath. And anybody who has ever been through this with another human being who they love, not being able to hold the hand of your loved one in those final hours – whether it’s from coronavirus or some other disease – is really cruel. And so widespread testing capability will allow loved ones and family members to be able to get tested and then go into the hospital and be with their loved one at this critical time.

“You’ve got nurses, amazing nurses doing FaceTime goodbyes with family members. It’s just, it’s gut-wrenching. And so as soon as we’re able to allow that visitation – I know it’s in the President’s guidelines, it’s in Phase Three – if it’s possible at the state level and there’s enough testing to just have some compassion to allow a handful, if there’s enough testing, for people to be with their loved one in their dying moments. It’s just absolutely cruel that they’re not able to do that right now.”

Senator McSally on next steps:

“As we move forward, I’m on the President’s Task Force advising on reopening the country. It’s not an on-off switch, is the way I would think about it. Sometimes the media characterizes that we’re either choosing to save lives, or we’re choosing people to make money. It’s not that. It’s an all-the-above in a more precise and surgical way where we can save lives, protect our health care workers, and allow people to safely return to work.

“Which isn’t such a blunt force way to do it in my view. If we have widespread testing, which includes people who are working in homes and hospitals, so we know they’re not unwittingly taking the virus in with them when they’re around the vulnerable, who are gathered together in a place like a hospital or a nursing home. And then also widespread antibody testing so we know who had the virus. And this is one – the University of Arizona has created its own antibody test. I’ve advocated to the President for the federal money, to scale that up. The $25 billion in the bill that we passed in the Senate yesterday allows for that kind of funding so that Arizona can scale that up and provide a million tests for frontline health care workers and others, so we have a sense of who had the virus and can move about more freely.

….

“We need to capture the best practices of those functions that are ongoing right now and not becoming hot spots of this highly contagious virus. And make sure that as the Governor makes decisions to ramp up other businesses, that they use those best practices, so that if people are allowed to go back to work, it’s not like before – it’s with social distancing, and disinfecting, and washing hands, and masks and gloves – but they can actually work and work safely. So it’s going to be, I think, more tailored and also regional – what happens in a rural county in Arizona is not what’s happening in New York City.

…

“So all of that together. We’ve bought time with this social distancing guidance. But there’s a better way, a more precise way, to address this moving forward. To allow people to safely return to work while saving lives as well. It’s not one or the other.”

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ABOUT WINNING FOR WOMEN:Winning For Women is a 501(c)(4) organization that aims (1) to inform the public of national security and free-market policy that will benefit the lives of all Americans, (2) to organize and amplify the voices of women across the country who embrace such, broadening the audience for a strong conservative message, and (3) to expand the ability of right-of-center women to succeed in their pursuit of leadership opportunities, including elected office. WFW works closely with its advisory team of high-profile leaders and supporters.Its Board of Directors includes former U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte, former U.S. Representative Barbara Comstock, founding partner at West Front Strategies Ashley Davis, W4W Board Member Jenny Singer, Hudson Institute Chairman Sarah May Stern, and W4W Board Member Rebecca Schuller.