U.S. senators offer bill to prepare for the next pandemic

 

FILE PHOTO: Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) speaks during a Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) tests, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 7, 2020. Anna Moneymaker/Pool via REUTERS

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. senators offered a bipartisan $3 billion plan on Thursday to prepare for the next global health crisis, putting a premium on fighting disease outbreaks and pandemics like COVID-19.

 

In a departure from partisan divisions over the novel coronavirus, Senator Jim Risch, Republican chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Democratic committee members Chris Murphy and Ben Cardin introduced the bill, with high hopes that much of it would eventually become law.

 

The measure, which was introduced last week but announced on Thursday, would authorize $3 billion to rebuild the U.S. pandemic defense system, invest in global vaccine developments and help countries that need it to build up their health systems.

 

Senate aides said it was not intended to reflect criticism of Republican President Donald Trump's response to the pandemic, which has killed more than 100,000 Americans and cratered the U.S. economy.

 

In a statement, Risch said he saw the "Global Health Security and Diplomacy Act" as a first step toward a carefully coordinated approach to global health security.

 

"We don't have the luxury of waiting and rebuilding our global public health infrastructure after this crisis is past," Murphy told Reuters in a telephone interview.

 

"The next pandemic may be on top of us this winter," Murphy said.

 

The measure would also require Trump to develop a global health security strategy, establish a coordinator for global health security and diplomacy at the State Department and encourage Trump to appoint a senior director for global health to the National Security Council.

 

It does not discuss the World Health Organization. Accusing WHO of being "China-centric," Trump threatened to permanently halt funding if it does not commit to improvements within 30 days and reconsider U.S. membership.

 

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Tom Brown)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-05-29

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Article One: don't make a pig's breakfast of it, like last time

 

 

3 hours ago, bendejo said:

Article One: don't make a pig's breakfast of it, like last time

 

 

Article two: let grownups who know what they're doing handle it, and not someone who spends his time either playing golf or on Twitter spewing BS.

From the article > The measure would also require Trump to develop a global health security strategy

God help us all!

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Senate aides said it was not intended to reflect criticism of Republican President Donald Trump's response to the pandemic, which has killed more than 100,000 Americans and cratered the U.S. economy.

Yes it does and badly. 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

it was not intended to reflect criticism

but if it can be construed as that, what the heck.

Bolt, door, horse.

anybody did hear the story of the wuhan lab people not getting funding anymore in october 2019 and what happened ... some dis-grunted unemployed to-be wuhan lab technician might have...

Bush and Obama already set this all up-it’s been thoroughly examined and instituted, but some dumbo dismantled it, and cut off funding ????