[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 74 (Monday, May 19, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S6572]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           PROJECT BIOSHIELD

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I am going to make just a few comments on 
bioshield and then will yield to the Senator from Nebraska. The 
comments I want to make are really a continuation of the statement of 
my intentions of a few minutes ago, and that is that the bioshield 
legislation must be addressed as soon as possible. I believe it has 
ramifications for the security of this Nation.
  Today, Israel was rocked by a fifth suicide bombing in 4 days--5 
dead, 14 or 15 injured in a blast outside a shopping mall. Just last 
Friday we had a suicide attack in Morocco claiming 42 lives. In Saudi 
Arabia last week: 3 simultaneous attacks, 34 people murdered including 
7 Americans. Meanwhile, 15 European tourists are being held hostage in 
a bunker in Algeria.
  This weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported that U.N. Weapons 
Inspector Hans Blix warns that:

       Chemical and biological weapons might be within the reach 
     of terrorists--whether these are groups or individuals.

  He goes on to say:

       Full guarantees against research and development are hardly 
     attainable, and possible hidden stores of biological and 
     chemical weapons may also be very hard to discover.

  The threat is real. Biological and other dangerous agents every day 
get closer and closer and closer to being within the grasp of those who 
wish to do us or peoples around the world mortal harm. We have made 
tremendous progress in treating many serious naturally occurring 
diseases, but we still lag far behind where we should be in developing 
the medical treatments and responses against biological or potential 
biological and chemical attacks.
  President Bush, in his State of the Union Message, proposed Project 
Bioshield, which is a comprehensive effort to develop and make 
available modern, up-to-date, effective countermeasures against such 
biological and chemical agents. It is a major cooperative effort which 
will be a joint activity of the new Department of Homeland Security and 
the Department of Health and Human Services.
  We look, in this legislation, at the next generation of 
countermeasures. Over the next 10 years, the administration estimates 
that about $6 billion will be available to purchase new countermeasures 
for conditions and illnesses and microbes like smallpox or anthrax or 
botulinum toxin or Ebola or plague.
  Project Bioshield also expands research and development into medical 
treatments as well as making these promising treatments available, very 
quickly, rapidly, in response to an emergency.
  My colleague, the Senator from New Hampshire, Mr. Gregg, introduced a 
comprehensive measure which incorporated the President's bioshield 
initiative into S. 15, the Biodefense Improvement and Treatment for 
America Act. That bill was introduced on March 11. Portions of that 
legislation incorporating the President's bioshield initiative passed 
the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on March 25. 
A slightly modified version passed the committee with the support of 
the ranking Democrat member, Senator Kennedy, as well as the support of 
all Republicans and all Democrats on the committee. The bill was placed 
on the Senate calendar on March 25, but now it is 2 months later and 
despite repeated attempts to pass the legislation, the minority, the 
Democrats, have objected to passing the bill by unanimous consent or 
even to debating the bill under a time agreement.
  We simply cannot continue to wait. Every day we wait is a day too 
long. We cannot forget the terrible video footage of the potential of 
these terrorist agents being used against us or other people.
  I hope the Senate will be able to meet Democratic objections and move 
this legislation this week before the Memorial Day recess. As I said in 
my opening comments earlier, none of us here doubts the potential 
danger that is out there. We need bioshield passed, and we need it 
passed as soon as possible.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Nebraska.
  Mr. HAGEL. I thank the Chair.
  (The remarks of Mr. Hagel pertaining to the introduction of S. 1076 
are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from North Dakota.

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