[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 96 (Monday, June 10, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S3288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mr. Coons, Mr. Roberts, Ms. 
        Duckworth, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Van Hollen, Mrs. Capito, Mr. 
        Markey, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Moran, Mr. Cardin, Mr. 
        Cornyn, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Young, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Enzi, Mr. 
        Wyden, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Reed):
  S. 1766. A bill to implement policies to end preventable maternal, 
newborn, and child deaths globally; to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise this evening to introduce 
legislation with my friend and colleague from Delaware, Senator Chris 
Coons, called the Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2019. I am 
delighted to say that we have 22 bipartisan cosponsors for our 
initiative. Our legislation would make it the policy of the United 
States to lead an effort to end preventable deaths of mothers, 
newborns, and young children in the developing world by the year 2030.
  Due in part to American leadership and generosity, many lives have 
already been saved. Since 1990, the annual number of deaths of children 
under the age of 5 has been cut in half. Nevertheless, far too many 
mothers, newborns, and young children under the age of 5 still succumb 
to disease and malnutrition that could easily have been prevented.
  Every day, approximately 800 women die from preventable causes that 
are related to pregnancy and childbirth. In addition, more than 15,000 
children under the age of 5 die every day from treatable conditions, 
such as prematurity, pneumonia, and diarrhea, with malnutrition being 
the underlying cause in nearly half of those deaths.
  Our bill aims to reach these mothers and children with simple, 
proven, cost-effective interventions that we know will help them 
survive. A concentrated effort could end preventable maternal and child 
deaths worldwide by the year 2030. However, continued American 
leadership and support from the international community are critical to 
success.
  To achieve this ambitious goal, our bill would require the 
implementation of a strategy to scale up the most effective 
interventions to save as many lives as possible. This idea is central 
to our bill. We do not have to guess at what interventions will work. 
The reality is that more than 15,000 children die each day of 
conditions that we know how to treat right now. These lifesaving 
interventions include clean birthing practices, vaccines, nutritional 
supplements, handwashing with soap, and other basic needs that remain 
elusive for far too many women and children in developing countries. 
This is what must change.
  In addition, our bill would establish a Maternal and Child Survival 
Coordinator at the USAID, who would focus on implementing the 5-year 
strategy and verifying that the most effective interventions are being 
scaled up in target countries.
  The bill would improve government efficiency across several agencies 
that would collaborate with the Coordinator to identify and promote the 
most effective treatments to end preventable maternal and child deaths 
globally. To promote transparency and greater accountability, our bill 
would also require detailed public reporting on progress toward 
implementing this strategy.
  Finally, our legislation would encourage the USAID to help pay for 
successful programs that are run by nongovernmental entities. The 
message that we want to send to all of our partners in the private 
sector, the nonprofit sector, the faith community, and in local and 
international civil society groups is this: If you can figure out an 
effective way to increase the likelihood that mothers and their 
children will survive childbirth in those first 5 vulnerable years of 
life, we want to acknowledge your contributions.
  We realize that the government does not have all of the answers and 
that if we and our partners in the private sector all work together, 
whether they be nonprofits, foundations, the faith community, local and 
international government-sponsored organizations, or civil society 
groups, we can solve this problem.
  Improving the health and well-being of mothers and children around 
the world have far-reaching social and economic benefits as well. The 
USAID estimates and identifies examples of the return on our 
investments in numerous priority countries. For example, in 
Afghanistan, Haiti, Liberia, Nepal, South Sudan, Rwanda, and Yemen, the 
USAID estimates that its health investments may yield a 9-to-1 return 
in economic and societal benefits by the year 2035.
  The USAID also estimates its return on investment in the form of 
resources mobilized, which is a measure based on additional dollar 
investments that are made by country governments or local organizations 
or by cost savings within a health system from increased efficiencies. 
In Senegal, for example, the USAID estimates $204 million in resources 
mobilized by 2025, which is a 656-to-1 return on the USAID's 
investment. In India, it estimates that a $25.5 billion investment by 
the year 2025 is a striking nearly 3,000-to-1 return on the USAID's 
investment.
  Other bipartisan initiatives, such as the successful President's 
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which was started by 
President George W. Bush, demonstrate that results-driven interventions 
can turn the tide for global health challenges. In applying lessons 
learned from past initiatives, our bill would provide the focus and the 
tools necessary to accelerate progress toward a goal that we should all 
be able to embrace, which is to end preventable maternal and child 
deaths.
  I urge my colleagues to join with Senator Coons and me and our 22 
cosponsors in supporting this legislation that will literally save the 
lives of mothers and children around the world by doing what we know 
works.
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