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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E400]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AMERICA'S GLOBAL LEADERSHIP DURING COVID-19
______
HON. ABIGAIL DAVIS SPANBERGER
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Ms. SPANBERGER. Madam Speaker, as the world faces the unprecedented
challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. leadership in the
global response is essential. Thank you to my colleague from
California, Congressman Bera, and my colleague from Florida,
Congressman Yoho, for leading a Congressional special order so that
Members who represent communities across America can reiterate this
point clearly.
I serve on the Asia Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, which Representatives Bera and Yoho lead as Chairman and
Ranking Member. Our Subcommittee held our first hearing on the
coronavirus outbreak in China in early February and our second one
later that month. What we heard during these hearings from public
health experts and administration officials reaffirmed something we
already knew: The United States needed to demonstrate leadership in the
international response in order to keep Americans safe.
Since these hearings, this horrible disease has ravaged families and
communities in the United States and around the world, including in
Central Virginia. The death toll, as well as the impact on our way of
life, has been heartbreaking. Every day, I speak with Central
Virginians who are experiencing this pain. As we do everything we can
to halt the spread and impact of the virus in our local communities and
across our nation, we must also recognize that U.S. leadership in the
global fight against coronavirus is an essential part of ending the
suffering at home.
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that infectious diseases know
no borders. An outbreak in a remote village can spread to major cities
across all populated continents on earth in less than 36 hours. Even
once we have more thorough testing and U.S. towns begin to see dropping
numbers of cases, the disease could easily return. No matter how
successful we are in fighting the threat of COVID-19 at home, we will
not end the suffering and fear created by the virus unless we also
combat it around the world.
This is exactly why global health experts, as well as foreign policy
and military leaders, are speaking out--calling on U.S. government
officials to lead by example and demonstrate leadership on the global
stage. If our nation cedes international leadership, we are demoting
our international standing, creating a void that our adversaries will
fill and exploit, and most critically, we are risking the safety and
livelihoods of Americans.
In addition, the pandemic is an incredibly painful reminder that, at
the end of the day, U.S. national security comes down to resilience at
home. As we face international threats, including infectious disease,
we are only as strong and prepared as our most vulnerable neighbors and
our most susceptible systems. The coronavirus pandemic highlights that
national security is much more than what typically comes to mind--it
includes our medical supply chains, the safety of American workers, and
so much more. It includes emerging, transnational threats such as
climate change and the COVID-19 virus--a disease that at any moment now
is expected to cause a death toll surpassing the number of Americans
who died in nearly a decade of fighting in Vietnam. Going forward, we
must be prepared for the full range of risks to American security. And
to do this, we must think of national security in a more comprehensive
and integrated fashion, recognizing it is rooted in our strength at
home and that the United States must lead on the global stage to
provide the sense of security that so many Americans lack as they face
disease and job loss.
As we strengthen and implement our response to the COVID-19 pandemic
and prepare for future threats, we must recognize that U.S. global
leadership is essential to protecting the health, security, and
economic interests of all Americans. We cannot step back from this
challenge; we must step up.
____________________
