[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 117 (Thursday, June 25, 2020)]
[Senate]
[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.

                          ____________________