[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 164 (Tuesday, September 22, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H4649-H4650]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




WE SHOULD NEVER AGAIN DEPEND ON FOREIGN SUPPLIERS FOR SUPPLIES WE NEED 
                         TO KEEP AMERICANS SAFE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Michigan (Ms. Slotkin) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend and thank my 
colleagues in the House for passing my bill, the Strengthening 
America's Strategic National Stockpile Act, with bipartisan, unanimous 
consent to ensure we never again depend on foreign suppliers for 
supplies we need to keep Americans safe.
  This bill was truly a bipartisan effort: 10 Democrats and 10 
Republicans joined me in introducing the bill. It was endorsed by the 
bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and passed out of the Energy and 
Commerce Committee on a similar unanimous, bipartisan vote.
  At a time when divisions in Congress can seem insurmountable, this 
bill is an example of what we can accomplish, even in our country's 
most challenging moments, when we focus on the mission.
  In this bill, we are responding to the mission to ensure that we 
never repeat what we went through in the early days of the COVID 
outbreak.
  Amidst uncertainty and fear, my office received frantic calls and 
emails day after day in March and April from essential workers begging 
for help. As cases of COVID surged, our hospitals and frontline workers 
simply did not have the protective equipment necessary to keep 
themselves safe.

  I heard from a physician in Brighton who compared his job to being a 
soldier

[[Page H4650]]

on the front lines wearing a T-shirt and a baseball cap instead of body 
armor and a helmet.
  I heard from nurses in Mason who had to share one gown--not per 
person, but per entire staff.
  I heard from doctors, nurses, and first responders who were bravely 
answering the call to serve their country, yet they were battling this 
deadly disease with improvised face shields and homemade solutions.
  In my home State of Michigan, we requested millions of medical 
supplies from the Federal Strategic National Stockpile. Michigan needed 
millions of masks, gowns, face shields, and ventilators. It quickly 
became clear that the aid we sought from our national stockpile was 
delayed and insufficient. The supplies we did receive were woefully 
inadequate to meet the moment. Some masks arrived so far beyond their 
expiration date that they were starting to mold.
  I found myself doing anything and everything I could to secure 
personal protective equipment for Michigan, calling dozens of mask 
manufacturers, negotiating with suppliers in China, and fighting for 
each and every shipment. My staff remembers some sleepless nights on 
the phone working to get doctors and nurses in Michigan enough supplies 
for just a few more days' work in the hospital.
  At the same time, manufacturers across my district stepped up to help 
fill the void and started retooling their businesses to manufacture 
personal protective equipment for our frontline workers.
  In Oxford, Michigan, Vaughn Hockey jumped into action, taking the 
specialized nylon that they used to make hockey pads and turning it 
into washable hospital gowns.
  Magna International, in my town of Holly, Michigan, retooled their 
car seat fabric assembly line to make masks for workers and suppliers.
  It was American ingenuity and Michigan grit at its finest.
  This experience shook me to my core, and I immediately got to work 
with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to draft legislation to 
ensure that America is better prepared for the next pandemic or the 
next phase of COVID.
  Our bill, the Strengthening America's National Stockpile Act, was the 
product of our bipartisan collaboration and makes important fixes to 
our national stockpile for medical supplies so that it is fully 
stocked, maintained, and ready whenever Michigan and other States 
across the country need it.

                              {time}  1000

  This is even more important as we see the number of COVID cases 
across the country continue to increase. This bill requires constant 
upkeep to make sure that the items in the stockpile aren't expired. It 
infuses transparency into how supplies are distributed from the 
stockpile, and it helps States create their own stockpiles.
  Second, it strengthens the stockpile's finances. It makes efficient 
use of taxpayer dollars and prevents waste by allowing the stockpile to 
sell excess supplies to other agencies. It also ensures that taxpayers 
are properly compensated for the use of stockpile products and boosts 
its funding.
  Critically, it helps reduce our overall dependence on foreign 
suppliers by incentivizing production of critical medical supplies here 
in America. It creates a $500 million pilot program that will allow the 
stockpile to work directly with American manufacturers to replenish 
existing supplies, expand our manufacturing capacity, and strengthen 
these critical supply chains.
  Over the next few weeks, I will be visiting a bunch of Michigan 
companies who could directly benefit from this portion of the bill.
  Here in Congress, we have a responsibility to respond to the way this 
crisis is shaking our communities; to protect our healthcare workers 
and support the businesses who are adapting to this once-in-a-
generation event. Our communities are stepping up and so should we. 
Passing this bill to better arm our doctors and nurses against this 
deadly disease is an important way to do that.
  I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for passing this 
legislation with overwhelming, bipartisan support, and I look forward 
to working together to help keep our fellow Americans safe.

                          ____________________