Ranking Member Ruiz’s Opening Statement at Select Subcommittee Hearing with White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy
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Washington, D.C. (March 6, 2024)—Below is Ranking Member Raul Ruiz, M.D.’s opening statement, as prepared for delivery, at today’s Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing examining federal pandemic preparedness with the Director of the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy (OPPR). Opening Statement Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you to Major General Friedrichs for your participation in today’s hearing, as well as for your service to our nation. When I think back to this time four years ago, I can’t help but think of the uncertainty that gripped our nation as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. We knew little about this novel virus—about the way it spread, the danger it posed, and the damage it would inflict on our communities. But during this time of significant uncertainty, one thing became increasingly clear: our nation was not where it needed to be when it came to pandemic preparedness and response. Now, thanks to the rapid and sustained deployment of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics under the Biden Administration and robust public health investments in the American Rescue Plan, we have left the darkest days of the pandemic behind us. And while we continue the work of keeping COVID-19 at bay, we must balance the imperative of mitigating the threat that new viruses could pose to Americans’ health and preparing for future pandemics. Last Congress, Democrats led the House in taking meaningful steps toward bolstering our pandemic preparedness and response capabilities with passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. Included in this law were bipartisan provisions from the PREVENT Pandemics Act, which made several significant reforms to help ensure we are better prepared when a future pandemic strikes. These reforms acted to advance our nation’s biosafety and biosecurity, revitalize our public health workforce, prevent undue foreign influence in biomedical research, and enhance our Strategic National Stockpile. Notably, this law also established the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy within the White House—taking a lessons-learned approach to strengthening our nation’s pandemic preparedness and response capabilities. Ultimately, these policies and the creation of OPPR have charted the course for a more efficient, streamlined pandemic response for the future—and they have shown what we can do when we come together constructively to protect Americans’ health and save lives. OPPR’s work to coordinate pandemic preparedness and response activities means that when the next pandemic comes, our nation can readily launch a response that best protects the American people. You see, the important work that OPPR is doing right now will help prevent our nation from replicating the chaos of the first months of the initial COVID-19 response—which left states, local governments, and hospitals without the resources they needed to protect people’s health OPPR has already helped guide our nation through a challenging respiratory season this past fall and winter—leading to a 24% reduction in reported deaths from COVID-19, pneumonia, and influenza so far this season, as compared to last. And OPPR continues to oversee the Biden Administration’s efforts to strengthen our supply chains, develop new vaccines, and stay on the cutting edge with advanced therapeutics—both for COVID-19 and for future public health threats. While coordinating all of these efforts, OPPR also quarterbacks the Biden Administration’s National Biodefense Strategy and Implementation Plan, which provides a framework for fortifying our whole-of-government capabilities to assess, prevent, and respond to biological 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. As a physician and a public health expert, developing forward-looking solutions that help our nation better prevent and prepare for future public health crises is my top priority. And as Ranking Member, it is my hope that we can emulate Major General Friedrich’s work in our own Select Subcommittee. So, I hope that today’s hearing yields constructive policies—like those that created OPPR in the first place—that help this office carry out its essential work for the American people. ### |