June 25, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 117 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session
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ENCOURAGING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO REMAIN COMMITTED TO COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION TO MITIGATE AND PREVENT THE FURTHER SPREAD OF COVID-19; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 117
(Senate - June 25, 2020)
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[Pages S3282-S3283] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] ENCOURAGING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO REMAIN COMMITTED TO COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION TO MITIGATE AND PREVENT THE FURTHER SPREAD OF COVID-19 Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 579. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title. The legislative clerk read as follows: A resolution (S. Res. 579) encouraging the international community to remain committed to collaboration and coordination to mitigate and prevent the further spread of COVID-19 and urging renewed United States leadership and participation in any global efforts on therapeutics and vaccine development and delivery to address COVID-19 and prevent further deaths, and for other purposes. There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the Senate proceeded to consider the resolution. Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Lee-Durbin substitute amendment to the resolution be considered and agreed to; that the resolution, as amended, be agreed to; that the Lee-Durbin amendment to the preamble be considered and agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; that the Lee-Durbin amendment to the title be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment (No. 1810), in the nature of a substitute, was agreed to as follows (Purpose: In the nature of a substitute) Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the following: ``That the Senate-- (1) recognizes the historic leadership role of the United States in stemming global health crises in the past; (2) commends the historic achievements of the international community to address global public health threats, such as the eradication of smallpox and dramatic progress in reducing cases of polio; (3) encourages the international community to remain committed to collaboration and coordination to mitigate and prevent the further spread of COVID-19; (4) commends the promising research and development underway to develop COVID-19 diagnostics, therapies, and vaccines within the United States and with support from the Federal government, public-private partnerships, and commercial partners; (5) acknowledges the vast international research enterprise and collaboration underway to study an expansive range of drug and vaccine candidates; (6) urges renewed United States leadership and participation in global efforts on therapeutics and vaccine development and delivery to address COVID-19 and prevent further American deaths; and (7) calls on the United States Government to strengthen collaboration with key partners at the forefront of responding to COVID-19. The resolution (S. Res. 579), as amended, was agreed to. The amendment (No. 1811) was agreed to as follows (Purpose: To amend the preamble) Strike the preamble and insert the following: Whereas there is a rich history of coordinated global health collaboration and coordination, dating back to 1851, to strategically and effectively combat deadly diseases of the time, such as the spread of plague; Whereas the United States has long been an active and critical leader in such global public health efforts, providing financial and technical support to multilateral institutions, foreign governments, and nongovernmental organizations; Whereas international collaboration has led to a number of historic global health achievements, including the eradication of [[Page S3283]] smallpox, the reduction of polio cases by 99 percent, the elimination of river blindness, the decline in maternal and child mortality, the recognition of tobacco use as a health hazard, and countless others; Whereas there has been bipartisan support in the United States to lead efforts to address global health needs, as evidenced by initiatives such as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the President's Malaria Initiative; Whereas the United States led the global effort to end the Ebola outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2016; Whereas these bipartisan investments in global health have helped not only save countless lives around the world, but also at home in the United States; Whereas an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China was first reported in December 2019, with a global pandemic declaration by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020; Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, more than 116,000 individuals in the United States are known to have died due to COVID-19 as of June 17, 2020, and a long-term, sustainable solution will require international access to a vaccine; Whereas the COVID-19 outbreak continues to place extreme pressure on health care systems and supply chains worldwide, impacting international travel, trade, and all other aspects of international exchanges, and requires a coordinated global effort to respond; Whereas the interconnectivity of our globalized world means an infectious disease can travel around the world in as little as 36 hours; Whereas United States Federal departments and agencies have engaged in and supported certain research and clinical trial efforts into coronaviruses, which may yield potential discoveries related to vaccine candidates; Whereas domestic and domestically supported vaccine candidates for COVID-19 comprise approximately 40 percent of the current potential COVID-19 vaccine candidates worldwide; Whereas international collaboration and coordination can help ensure equitable access to safe, effective, and affordable therapeutics and vaccines, thereby saving the lives of Americans and others around the world; Whereas the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations is working to accelerate the development of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases, including COVID-19, and to enable equitable access to these vaccines for people during outbreaks; Whereas, on May 4, 2020, the President of the European Commission led a virtual summit where nations around the world pledged more than $8,000,000,000 to quickly develop vaccines and treatment to fight COVID-19; Whereas Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is working to maintain ongoing immunization programs in partner countries while helping to identify and rapidly accelerate the development, production, and equitable delivery of COVID-19 vaccines; and Whereas, on June 4, 2020, the United Kingdom hosted a pledging conference for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, for which the United States made an historic $1,160,000,000 multi-year commitment: Now, therefore, be it The preamble, as amended, was agreed to. The amendment (No. 1812) was agreed to as follows (Purpose: To amend the title) Amend the title so as to read: ``A resolution encouraging the international community to remain committed to collaboration and coordination to mitigate and prevent the further spread of COVID-19 and urging renewed United States leadership and participation in global efforts on therapeutics and vaccine development and delivery to address COVID-19 and prevent further deaths, and for other purposes.''. S. Res. 579 Whereas there is a rich history of coordinated global health collaboration and coordination, dating back to 1851, to strategically and effectively combat deadly diseases of the time, such as the spread of plague; Whereas the United States has long been an active and critical leader in such global public health efforts, providing financial and technical support to multilateral institutions, foreign governments, and nongovernmental organizations; Whereas international collaboration has led to a number of historic global health achievements, including the eradication of smallpox, the reduction of polio cases by 99 percent, the elimination of river blindness, the decline in maternal and child mortality, the recognition of tobacco use as a health hazard, and countless others; Whereas there has been bipartisan support in the United States to lead efforts to address global health needs, as evidenced by initiatives such as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the President's Malaria Initiative; Whereas the United States led the global effort to end the Ebola outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2016; Whereas these bipartisan investments in global health have helped not only save countless lives around the world, but also at home in the United States; Whereas an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China was first reported in December 2019, with a global pandemic declaration by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020; Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, more than 116,000 individuals in the United States are known to have died due to COVID-19 as of June 17, 2020, and a long-term, sustainable solution will require international access to a vaccine; Whereas the COVID-19 outbreak continues to place extreme pressure on health care systems and supply chains worldwide, impacting international travel, trade, and all other aspects of international exchanges, and requires a coordinated global effort to respond; Whereas the interconnectivity of our globalized world means an infectious disease can travel around the world in as little as 36 hours; Whereas United States Federal departments and agencies have engaged in and supported certain research and clinical trial efforts into coronaviruses, which may yield potential discoveries related to vaccine candidates; Whereas domestic and domestically supported vaccine candidates for COVID-19 comprise approximately 40 percent of the current potential COVID-19 vaccine candidates worldwide; Whereas international collaboration and coordination can help ensure equitable access to safe, effective, and affordable therapeutics and vaccines, thereby saving the lives of Americans and others around the world; Whereas the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations is working to accelerate the development of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases, including COVID-19, and to enable equitable access to these vaccines for people during outbreaks; Whereas, on May 4, 2020, the President of the European Commission led a virtual summit where nations around the world pledged more than $8,000,000,000 to quickly develop vaccines and treatment to fight COVID-19; Whereas Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is working to maintain ongoing immunization programs in partner countries while helping to identify and rapidly accelerate the development, production, and equitable delivery of COVID-19 vaccines; and Whereas, on June 4, 2020, the United Kingdom hosted a pledging conference for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, for which the United States made an historic $1,160,000,000 multi-year commitment: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate-- (1) recognizes the historic leadership role of the United States in stemming global health crises in the past; (2) commends the historic achievements of the international community to address global public health threats, such as the eradication of smallpox and dramatic progress in reducing cases of polio; (3) encourages the international community to remain committed to collaboration and coordination to mitigate and prevent the further spread of COVID-19; (4) commends the promising research and development underway to develop COVID-19 diagnostics, therapies, and vaccines within the United States and with support from the Federal government, public-private partnerships, and commercial partners; (5) acknowledges the vast international research enterprise and collaboration underway to study an expansive range of drug and vaccine candidates; (6) urges renewed United States leadership and participation in global efforts on therapeutics and vaccine development and delivery to address COVID-19 and prevent further American deaths; and (7) calls on the United States Government to strengthen collaboration with key partners at the forefront of responding to COVID-19. Mr. TOOMEY. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. HAWLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________
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