As Congress nears the end of its recess, our congressmen have spent time collaborating with their constituents. Recently, we’ve seen Rep. Chris Pappas conversing with students and Senator Hassan rallying with USPS advocates. One thing that could be focused on more is the response to COVID-19’s effects in the U.S. and the rest of the world. I do commend Senator Shaheen’s efforts by cosponsoring the COVID-19 International Relief and Response Act.

Advocating on behalf of The Borgen Project, I help serve as a voice for the world’s poor. We work with our congressmen to push through legislation that would help alleviate the atrocities caused by global poverty, including malnutrition, lack of education, violence, and spread of diseases. I believe that the U.S. has become more polarized than ever when it comes to COVID-19 response, in addition to other social issues.

The world used to be a bigger place. Now, surrounded by our phones, we claim that we’re more connected than ever; nonetheless, we choose who we connect with and that becomes very limiting. Of the 7.8 billion people in the world, the U.S. only makes up a mere 4.25% of the global population. If we consider how terrible COVID-19 has affected some countries, we would know that we’re not doing enough. Increasing funding towards COVID-19 relief does not mean taking away funding from other aspects of the federal budget, which is a common mistaken belief. This is not an us or them situation, it’s an us and them situation, and our political leaders should be doing more addressing the borderless pandemic.