[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 1, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4138-S4139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. 
        Casey, Mr. Reed, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Markey, Ms. Harris, Ms. 
        Hirono, Mr. Carper, Mr. Van Hollen, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. 
        Merkley, Ms. Smith, Ms. Warren, and Mr. Cardin):
  S. 4132. A bill to establish the Commission on the COVID-19 Pandemic 
in the United States; to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the 
Coronavirus Commission Act. Representative Adam Schiff has introduced 
companion legislation in the House.
  This bill would establish a commission on the coronavirus pandemic to 
better understand the vulnerabilities it has revealed in our national 
security and healthcare system and improve our preparedness for future 
crises.
  It is crucial to improve our understanding of pandemic threats and 
health issues that the United States could face in the coming decades 
to better protect our population and mitigate the risk of a similar 
human and economic catastrophe.
  Nearly 130,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. Hospitals have 
struggled to secure enough personal protective equipment to keep health 
workers safe, testing levels remain inadequate, and a breakthrough 
therapeutic, let alone a vaccine, has yet to be developed.
  More than 41 million Americans have been laid off, and the 
unemployment rate is likely well over 20 percent. Large numbers of 
businesses have permanently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  The commission that would be created by our bill would conduct a 
comprehensive review of the government's coronavirus response and make 
recommendations on how we can be better prepared in the future. The 
commission would complement other oversight efforts in Congress and 
elsewhere.
  The coronavirus commission would examine U.S. Government preparedness 
in advance of this pandemic, the Federal Government's response to it, 
and provide recommendations to improve our ability to respond to and 
recover from future outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics.
  This legislation is modeled after and closely mirrors legislation 
enacted in 2002 that created the 9/11 Commission.
  The Coronavirus Commission would be composed of 10 members, with the 
same partisan balance as the 9/11 commissioners and prohibited from 
being current Federal officials, with a variety of backgrounds in 
relevant fields, including public health, epidemiology, emergency 
preparedness, armed services, and intelligence; provide a full 
accounting to the President, Congress, and the American people of the 
facts and circumstances related to the outbreak in the United States, 
including our preparedness, the intelligence and information we had 
available before the virus reached the United States, and how Federal, 
State, and local governments, as well as the private sector, responded 
to the crisis; hold hearings and public events to obtain information 
and to educate the public; possess subpoena power to compel cooperation 
by relevant witnesses and materials from the Federal Government, as 
well as State and local governments; make specific recommendations to 
Congress and the executive branch to improve our preparedness for 
pandemic disease; have adequate staffing and resources to be able to 
complete expeditiously the monumental task at hand so we can be 
prepared for the next epidemic or pandemic to hit the nation; and the 
commission would be established after February 2021, hopefully when the 
pandemic has been overcome and after the presidential election.
  The coronavirus showed just how unprepared and slow we were to 
respond to a major outbreak, and that lack of readiness has endangered 
lives.
  We were unable to ramp up testing, we had insufficient safety 
equipment for doctors and nurses, and we lacked any kind of consistent 
Federal guidelines for States and cities.

[[Page S4139]]

  We know this will not be the last outbreak, so a 9/11 Commission-
style panel is necessary to fix these mistakes going forward and apply 
the lessons from this pandemic to future crises.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in support of this bill.
  Thank you.
                                 ______