U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, who also chairs the Senate Health Committee, this week introduced the Preparing for the Next Pandemic Act.
According to a press release that Alexander’s staff published on his website, the legislation “will maintain sufficient onshore manufacturing for tests, treatments and vaccines, and rebuild state and federal stockpiles of supplies like masks and ventilators.”
“In this internet age, attention spans are short,” Alexander said in the press release.
“Even with an event as significant as COVID-19, memories fade and attention moves quickly to the next crisis. That makes it imperative that Congress act this year on needed changes in order to better prepare for the next pandemic.”
According to the press release, Alexander’s legislation does three things:
• Onshore Manufacturing — Provides new, sustained funding – $5 billion over 10 years – to maintain sufficient onshore manufacturing for tests, treatments and vaccines so that when a new virus emerges, the United States has a facility ready to manufacture those products as quickly as possible.
• State Stockpiles— Provides new, sustained funding – $10 billion over 10 years – so states can create and maintain their own stockpiles of supplies such as masks and ventilators with help from the federal government.
• Federal Stockpiles— this legislation improves the federal Strategic National Stockpile by allowing the Federal government to work with companies to maintain additional supplies and manufacturing capacity so we are even better prepared for the next pandemic.
As The Tennessee Star reported last month, Alexander said Congress should act this year on “needed changes” to prepare for the next pandemic.
Alexander made his remarks during a Senate Health Committee hearing where former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist testified about his calls 15 years ago for Congress to prepare for a pandemic.
Witnesses testified as to how the federal government, states, hospitals, and health care providers should prepare for another wave of COVID-19 and future pandemics. This, based on lessons learned from COVID-19 and the past 20 years of pandemic planning, according to the press release.
“While the nation is in the midst of responding to COVID-19, the United States Congress should take stock now of what parts of the local, state, and federal response worked, what could work better and how, and be prepared to pass legislation this year to better prepare for the next pandemic, which will surely come,” Alexander said.
Earlier this month Alexander released “Preparing for the Next Pandemic,” a white paper outlining five recommendations for Congress to prepare Americans for the next pandemic.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
