Washington – Onondaga County executive Ryan McMahon will testify in Congress on Wednesday about the cascading effects of the coronavirus pandemic on life in central New York.
McMahon agreed to appear as a witness at a hearing by the House’s Internal Security Committee on the pandemic, at the request of Rep. John Katko, the panel’s top Republican.
Katko invited McMahon to talk about the impact of the pandemic on mental health, the opioid crisis and schools, said Dan Kranz, speaking on behalf of Katko.
The county executive will also be asked to share his perspective on the challenges of delivering the coronavirus vaccine.
McMahon will offer the only insight from a local community at the hearing entitled, “Confronting the coronavirus: Perspectives on the Covid-19 pandemic a year later.” Three other panelists are expected to testify on medical issues.
The virtual hearing in front of all 35 members of the House’s Internal Security Committee will be broadcast live on the committee’s website and on YouTube.
McMahon, 40, will also be able to present a vision both as a government employee who deals with the coronavirus and as someone who has suffered from pandemic stress. He told syracuse.com that his recent health problems with double vision are probably the result of such stress.
“I am coming to the conclusion that it is related to the pandemic,” McMahon told syracuse.com. “When we see what this pandemic has done to the public and the community … the human side of things … It is difficult to disconnect. To turn off. To be honest with you, I can’t turn it off. “
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