March 18, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 52 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Page S1807]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 547--ENCOURAGING THE PRESIDENT TO USE AUTHORITIES 
PROVIDED BY THE DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACT OF 1950 TO SCALE UP THE NATIONAL 
                   RESPONSE TO THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

  Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Mr. Jones, Ms. Warren, Mr. Brown, Mr. 
Blumenthal, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Booker, Mr. Bennet, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. 
Van Hollen, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Peters, Mr. Carper, and Ms. Smith) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs:

                              S. Res. 547

       Whereas more than 3,800 people in the United States have 
     already tested positive for the novel coronavirus across 49 
     States, the District of Columbia, and 3 territories, with 
     experts believing the number is already much higher;
       Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have 
     projected that between 160,000,000 and 214,000,000 people 
     could be infected by the novel coronavirus in the United 
     States over the course of the pandemic;
       Whereas the United States health care sector is facing 
     severe shortages of critical supplies for coronavirus testing 
     and treatment, including personal protective equipment for 
     staff and infected patients, N95 respirators, sanitizing 
     materials, ventilators, and test kit supplies;
       Whereas the Strategic National Stockpile contains only a 
     fraction of the supplies that the Department of Health and 
     Human Services estimates will be necessary to respond to the 
     coronavirus crisis, with the stockpile currently holding less 
     than 0.3 percent of the amount of respirators estimated to be 
     necessary;
       Whereas the President has the existing authority under the 
     Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4501 et seq.) to 
     take immediate action to mobilize United States industry for 
     emergency preparedness activities conducted pursuant to title 
     VI of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
     Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5195 et seq.), which has been 
     previously used to respond to public health hazards; and
       Whereas the President issued a national emergency 
     declaration relating to the novel coronavirus under section 
     501(b) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
     Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5191(b)) on March 13, 
     2020: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) calls on the President to use existing authorities 
     under the Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4501 et 
     seq.) to massively and quickly ramp up production in the 
     United States of medical supplies, including personal 
     protective equipment, needed to respond to the ongoing public 
     health emergency driven by the spread of the novel 
     coronavirus;
       (2) urges the President to prioritize the use of those 
     authorities to produce and secure additional personal 
     protective equipment, test kit supplies, respirators, 
     ventilators, and sanitizing materials for use within the 
     health care sector in the United States;
       (3) supports the use of authorities under title I of the 
     Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4511 et seq.) to 
     allocate and control the distribution of medical materials 
     needed for testing and treating the novel coronavirus, 
     including by directing suppliers to prioritize and accept 
     government contracts to restock the Strategic National 
     Stockpile where necessary;
       (4) supports the use of authorities under title III of the 
     Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4531 et seq.) to 
     provide financial incentives to manufacturers and suppliers 
     of critical medical equipment, including loans, loan 
     guarantees, direct purchases, and purchase commitments; and
       (5) supports the use of authorities under title VII of the 
     Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4551 et seq.) to 
     establish voluntary agreements between the Federal Government 
     and private industry that would allow for the temporary 
     coordination of production of necessary and scarce medical 
     supplies.

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