Statement of Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley on the PREVENT Pandemics Act Draft
Research!America applauds Senate HELP Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC) for their leadership and foresight in introducing a draft bill: the PREVENT Pandemics Act.
It is encouraging to see critically needed bipartisan efforts to ensure our nation acts now to preempt and prepare for future global health threats. It is essential for our nation to learn from – and act on – the struggles of the past two years.
There is no way to predict when the next pandemic will occur. There may be no respite before we face another variant of COVID-19 or another global infectious disease outbreak. If we fail to turn now to out-smarting and out-innovating the next threat, we are leaving ourselves vulnerable to the tangible risk of millions of needless deaths and trillions in emergency spending going forward.
The bipartisan discussion draft Sens. Murray and Burr released creates an extraordinarily solid and thoughtful framework for the input they seek. We urge Congress to continue to work across the aisle to protect our health and our future by fully preparing now for the next health crisis.
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