In First Appearance Before Congress, White House OPPR Director Highlights Biden Administration’s Commitment to Protecting Americans’ Health and Safety from Biological Threats

Washington, D.C. (March 6, 2024)—Today, Rep. Raul Ruiz, M.D., Ranking Member of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, led Select Subcommittee Democrats in seeking an update from the Director of the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy (OPPR) on the federal government’s efforts to strengthen pandemic preparedness and reiterating support for OPPR’s forward-looking work to get ahead of future public health threats.

“While OPPR is still a new and growing office, its mission as the steward of our nation’s pandemic preparedness and response policy means that it is at the center of the forward-looking work of mitigating future public health threats and saving future lives,” said Ranking Member Ruiz in his opening statement.

Today’s hearing included the first-ever testimony of Major General (Ret.) Paul Friedrichs, M.D., the inaugural Director of the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, which was launched by the Biden Administration last July pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.

Select Subcommittee Democrats demonstrated how the creation of OPPR has charted the course for a more efficient, streamlined pandemic response in the future.

• Ranking Member Ruiz said: “In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress came together in a bipartisan fashion to develop the concept of your office, which was ultimately established through Democrats’ Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. Since its launch last July, OPPR has worked tirelessly on the mission of forward-looking work to prepare for future pandemics—the very work I have long called for in this Select Subcommittee.” 
• Congressman Ami Bera said: “As a physician, someone who’s done global health and has been very interested in pandemic preparedness, I would just point out post-Ebola working with the Obama administration, we did stand up at the NSC, an individual whose sole job was to focus on pandemics around the world…the prior administration did dismantle that position—that was done through executive orders. I’m glad that we as Congress, through the legislative process, stood up OPPR because I think it is incredibly necessary, and we just saw what a pandemic—what a virus—did in terms of disrupting not just the United States of America, but the entire world.”

Select Subcommittee Democrats highlighted how OPPR has taken a lessons-learned approach to strengthening the country’s overall pandemic preparedness and response capabilities.

• Congresswoman Debbie Dingell pointed out the work OPPR is currently doing to manage current respiratory threats: “My understanding is that despite the unique challenges posed by the most recent respiratory virus season, you were successful in continuing to mitigate the threat of COVID-19 and keeping other viruses at bay. For example, COVID-19 has declined from the third to the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. And reported deaths from COVID-19, pneumonia, and influenza are down 24% so far this season, as compared to last season.”
• In response to questions from Congressman Jared Moskowitz regarding OPPR’s work to address supply chain vulnerabilities, Major General Friedrichs said: “There are a number of things that we’ve done in a very collaborative fashion to move forward on that. One is the White House Supply Chain Council that was established to try and address not only the medical supply chain but broader supply chain issues. And it starts with understanding not just where a piece of equipment or pharmaceutical is finally assembled, but all the parts and pieces that go into it and where those come from as well.”

Select Subcommittee Democrats laid the groundwork for forward-looking policies that advance public health and the nation’s pandemic readiness.

• In seeking an update on OPPR’s efforts across the Administration to improve risk-based communication when biological threats emerge, Congresswoman Deborah Ross said: “[The National Biodefense Strategy and Implementation Plan] sets forward a coordinated effort to orchestrate the full range of activity that is carried out across the government to prevent, prepare, and respond to biological threats, and does so through a series of targeted actions and goals to expand our nation’s pandemic preparedness capabilities. One key throughline of the plan’s various objectives for strengthening our preparedness is improving timely, accurate, and science-drive risk communication when biological incidents take place.”
• In response to questions from Congressman Kweisi Mfume about the nation’s shortage of doctors and medical providers, Major General Friedrichs testified: “In many cases, we’ve seen an exodus of health care workers, public health care workers, community health care workers that are creating the shortfalls that you’ve described. Today, depending on which source you look at. There's a shortage of between 50,000 to 80,000 physicians, 300,000 to 400,000 nurses and I could go on and on and on. We can’t be prepared if people will not work in this career field. And so, there's an opportunity for us to partner to collaborate to look at how we address the supply chain for not just stuff, but for the people who actually provide the care.”

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