[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 120 (Tuesday, June 30, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4076-S4077]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2382. Ms. HARRIS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
her to the bill S. 4049, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2021 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle G of title XII of division A, add
the following:
SEC. 1287. IMPROVING PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE
THROUGH DIPLOMACY.
(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the
``Improving Pandemic Preparedness and Response Through
Diplomacy Act''.
(b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the annual report of the Global
Preparedness Monitoring Board (an independent panel of
experts convened by the World Bank Group and the World Health
Organization), ``The world is at acute risk for devastating
regional or global disease epidemics or pandemics that not
only cause loss of life but upend and create social chaos.''.
(2) The World Health Organization--
(A) declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-19) a Public Health Emergency of International
Concern on January 30, 2020;
(B) raised its global risk assessment to ``Very High'' on
February 28, 2020; and
(C) ultimately declared the outbreak a pandemic on March
11, 2020.
(3) The risks associated with future outbreaks of
infections disease and other global health emergencies,
whether naturally-occurring, accidental, or deliberate, are
increasing due to a number of factors, including--
(A) the spillover of pathogens from animals to humans;
(B) the development of antimicrobial resistance;
(C) population growth and resulting strains on the
environment;
(D) urbanization;
(E) international travel and trade;
(F) forced and voluntary migration;
(G) climate change;
(H) weak public health infrastructures; and
(I) potential acts of bioterrorism.
(4) Vulnerable populations, including those who live in
poverty and in countries with weak public health and
government infrastructure, and at-risk groups, such as the
sick, older people, ethnic and religious minorities, women,
people with disabilities, LGBTQ people, indigenous, migrants,
refugees, and children, are particularly susceptible to the
outbreak of infectious disease and its consequences.
(5) According to an April 2020 report of the International
Monetary Fund--
(A) ``It is very likely that this year the global economy
will experience its worst recession since the Depression,
surpassing that seen during the global financial crisis a
decade ago.''; and
(B) ``As a result of the pandemic, the global economy is
projected to contract sharply by 3% in 2020.''.
(6) As of May 14, 2020, the Department of Labor estimated
that 36,500,000 workers filed for first-time unemployment
claims during the previous 8 weeks, which coincides with the
timeframe during which the impact of the coronavirus became
widespread across the United States.
(7) The United States Government, along with the medical,
scientific, and public health communities, has historically
promoted global public health through--
(A) multilateral cooperation;
(B) funding of relevant research activities; and
(C) the provision of development assistance to prepare for,
detect, respond to, and recover from the outbreak of
infectious disease.
(8) The Global Health Security Agenda is a multi-faceted,
multi-country initiative intended to improve partner
countries' measurable capabilities to prevent, detect, and
respond to infectious disease, which the United States is
committed to advancing.
(c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) no country, acting alone, can effectively protect the
health and safety of all its people from the outbreak and
spread of infectious disease and other global health
emergencies;
(2) efforts to prepare for, detect, respond to, and recover
from disease outbreaks and pandemics globally--
(A) are in the interests of the United States; and
(B) are consistent with the promotion of core values of
peace, prosperity, health, and equal dignity and rights of
all peoples;
(3) robust diplomacy, including multilateral diplomacy and
development assistance, is an essential part of a well-
coordinated, whole-of-government strategy to prepare for,
detect, respond to, and recover from disease outbreak and
spread and other global health emergencies; and
(4) support for, and active participation in, multilateral
organizations, such as the United Nations and the World
Health Organization, enhance the efforts of the United States
to prepare for, detect, respond to, and recover from disease
outbreaks and pandemics, both domestically and globally.
(d) Special Presidential Envoy for Pandemic Preparedness
and Response.--
(1) Defined term.--In this subsection, the term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(B) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
of the Senate;
(C) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs of the Senate;
(D) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
[[Page S4077]]
(E) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
of the Senate;
(F) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
of the Senate;
(G) the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate;
(H) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives;
(I) the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of
Representatives;
(J) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives;
(K) the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of
Representatives;
(L) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
Representatives;
(M) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives;
(N) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of
Representatives; and
(O) the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the
House of Representatives.
(2) Office of the special presidential envoy.--There is
established in the Office of the Secretary of State, an
Office of the Special Presidential Envoy, which--
(A) shall be led by the Special Presidential Envoy for
Pandemic Preparedness and Response (referred to in this
section as the ``Special Presidential Envoy'') appointed
pursuant to paragraph (3);
(B) shall be staffed with--
(i) detailees from the bureaus and offices under the
jurisdiction of the Under Secretary for Economic Growth,
Energy, and the Environment;
(ii) detailees from the Bureau of Oceans and International
Environmental and Scientific Affairs; and
(iii) any other Department of State personnel the Secretary
considers necessary.
(3) Appointment.--The President, in consultation with the
Secretary of State and the Secretary of Health and Human
Services, shall appoint a Special Presidential Envoy for
Pandemic Preparedness and Response, who shall have the rank
and status of Ambassador-at-Large.
(4) Qualifications.--The Special Presidential Envoy shall
have extensive experience in global public health, diplomacy,
medicine, or a related field.
(5) Duties.--
(A) In general.--The principal duty of the Special
Presidential Envoy shall be the overall supervision,
including policy oversight of resources, of diplomatic
efforts to prepare for, detect, respond to, and recover from
pandemics and other global outbreaks of infectious disease.
The Special Presidential Envoy shall exercise such powers as
the Secretary of State may prescribe.
(B) Strategy development.--The Special Presidential Envoy
shall develop, and, in coordination with the heads of
relevant departments and agencies, direct the implementation
of the diplomatic strategy described in subsection (e).
(6) Reports.--
(A) Report on covid-19 pandemic.--Not later than 30 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and quarterly
thereafter, the Special Presidential Envoy shall submit a
report to the appropriate congressional committees that
describes his or her efforts to develop and implement a
diplomatic strategy comprised of the elements specified in
section 5 with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(B) General report.--Not later than 90 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter,
the Special Presidential Envoy shall submit a report to the
appropriate congressional committees that describes his or
her efforts to develop and implement a diplomatic strategy
comprised of the elements specified in section 5 with respect
to any and all future outbreaks of infectious disease or
pandemics.
(7) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated $10,000,000 for the Office of the Special
Presidential Envoy to carry out this subsection.
(e) Elements of Diplomatic Strategy.--The diplomatic
strategy to prepare for, detect, respond to, and recover from
pandemics and other global outbreaks of infectious disease
should address--
(1) the development of medical countermeasures, including
vaccines, antimicrobials, therapeutics, and diagnostics for
emerging infectious diseases;
(2) zoonotic disease prevention, detection, and response;
(3) the development of disease surveillance systems;
(4) the promotion of disease reporting and greater
transparency of disease-related information;
(5) increasing the capabilities and capacity of national
laboratories;
(6) combating the spread of antimicrobial resistant
microorganisms;
(7) scientific workforce development and training;
(8) the mitigation of, disruptions to, and other issues
related to, global medical supply chains;
(9) efforts to prevent the outbreak and spread of
infectious diseases among displaced persons and other
vulnerable populations;
(10) the development and use of standards and best
practices for the imposition and lifting of disease
mitigation measures, including travel restrictions, social
distancing, quarantining, and other restrictions on economic
and social activities; and
(11) efforts to combat the spread of disinformation and
racial discrimination related to the outbreak and spread of
infectious disease.
(f) Interagency Steering Committee.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of State, acting through the
Special Presidential Envoy for Pandemic Preparedness and
Response, shall regularly convene an interagency steering
committee to aid in the development, coordination, and
implementation of the diplomatic strategy described in
subsection (e).
(2) Membership.--The interagency steering committee
referred to in paragraph (1)--
(A) should be led by the Special Presidential Envoy; and
(B) shall include, as members--
(i) the Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and
International Environmental and Scientific Affairs;
(ii) the Global AIDS Coordinator and United States Special
Representative for Global Health Diplomacy;
(iii) any other Department of State personnel the Secretary
considers necessary;
(iv) the Director of the Office of Global Affairs of the
Department of Health and Human Services; and
(v) at least 1 representative from each of the following
agencies:
(I) The United States Agency for International Development.
(II) The Department of Health and Human Services.
(III) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(IV) The National Institutes of Health.
(V) The Department of Agriculture.
(VI) The Department of Homeland Security.
(VII) The Department of the Treasury.
(VIII) The Department of Commerce.
(IX) The Office of the United States Trade Representative.
(X) The Department of Labor.
(XI) The White House Office of Science and Technology
Policy.
(XII) The Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
(XIII) The Department of Defense.
(g) Outside Panel of Experts.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of State, acting through the
Special Presidential Envoy for Pandemic Preparedness and
Response, shall regularly convene an outside panel of
experts--
(A) to advise the Special Presidential Envoy regarding
scientific, technical, and other policy matters; and
(B) to make recommendations for the development and
implementation of the diplomatic strategy described in
subsection (e).
(2) Composition.--The Special Presidential Envoy, in
consultation with the interagency steering committee
established pursuant to subsection (f), shall determine who
will be included on the panel convened pursuant to paragraph
(1).
(3) Applicability of faca.--The Federal Advisory Committee
Act (5 U.S.C. App. shall not apply to the panel convened
pursuant to paragraph (1).
(h) Honoring Financial Commitments to the World Health
Organization.--Subject to the availability of appropriations,
but notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary
of the Treasury shall remit all United States assessed
contributions to the World Health Organization not later than
the date on which such contributions are due and payable.
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