[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 126 (Monday, July 19, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H3654-H3655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  SECURING AMERICA FROM EPIDEMICS ACT

  Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2118) to authorize United States participation in the 
Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and for other 
purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2118

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Securing America From 
     Epidemics Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Due to increasing population and population density, 
     human mobility, and ecological change, emerging infectious 
     diseases pose a real and growing threat to global health 
     security.
       (2) While vaccines can be the most effective tools to 
     protect against infectious disease, the absence of vaccines 
     for a new or emerging infectious disease with epidemic 
     potential is a major health security threat globally, posing 
     catastrophic potential human and economic costs.
       (3) The COVID-19 pandemic has infected more than 
     119,960,700 individuals and has killed at least 2,656,822 
     people worldwide, and it is likely that unreported cases and 
     deaths are significant.
       (4) Even regional outbreaks can have enormous human costs 
     and substantially disrupt the global economy and cripple 
     regional economies. The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa 
     killed more than 11,000 and cost $2,800,000,000 in losses in 
     the affected countries alone.
       (5) While the need for vaccines to address emerging 
     epidemic threats is acute, markets to drive the necessary 
     development of vaccines to address them--a complex and 
     expensive undertaking--are very often critically absent. Also 
     absent are mechanisms to ensure access to those vaccines by 
     those who need them when they need them.
       (6) To address this global vulnerability and the deficit of 
     political commitment, institutional capacity, and funding, in 
     2017, several countries and private partners launched the 
     Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). 
     CEPI's mission is to stimulate, finance, and coordinate 
     development of vaccines for high-priority, epidemic-potential 
     threats in cases where traditional markets do not exist or 
     cannot create sufficient demand.
       (7) Through funding of partnerships, CEPI seeks to bring 
     priority vaccines candidates through the end of phase II 
     clinical trials, as well as support vaccine platforms that 
     can be rapidly deployed against emerging pathogens.
       (8) CEPI supported the manufacturing of the United States-
     developed Moderna COVID-19 vaccine during its Phase 1 
     clinical trial, and CEPI has initiated at least 12 
     partnerships to develop vaccines against COVID-19.
       (9) CEPI is co-leading COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the 
     ACT-Accelerator, which is a global collaboration to quickly 
     produce and equitably distribute safe and effective vaccines 
     and therapeutics for COVID-19.
       (10) Support for and participation in CEPI is an important 
     part of the United States own health security and biodefense 
     and is in the national interest, complementing the work of 
     many Federal agencies and providing significant value through 
     global partnership and burden-sharing.

     SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION FOR UNITED STATES PARTICIPATION.

       (a) In General.--The United States is hereby authorized to 
     participate in the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness 
     Innovations (``Coalition'').
       (b) Designation.--The President is authorized to designate 
     an employee of the relevant Federal department or agency 
     providing the majority of United States contributions to the 
     Coalition, who should demonstrate knowledge and experience in 
     the fields of development and public health, epidemiology, or 
     medicine, to serve--
       (1) on the Investors Council of the Coalition; and
       (2) if nominated by the President, on the Board of 
     Directors of the Coalition, as a representative of the United 
     States.
       (c) Reports to Congress.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit 
     to the appropriate congressional committees a report that 
     includes the following:
       (1) The United States planned contributions to the 
     Coalition and the mechanisms for United States participation 
     in such Coalition.
       (2) The manner and extent to which the United States shall 
     participate in the governance of the Coalition.
       (3) How participation in the Coalition supports relevant 
     United States Government strategies and programs in health 
     security and biodefense, including--
       (A) the Global Health Security Strategy required by section 
     7058(c)(3) of division K of the Consolidated Appropriations 
     Act, 2018 (Public Law 115-141);
       (B) the applicable revision of the National Biodefense 
     Strategy required by section 1086 of the National Defense 
     Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (6 U.S.C. 104); and
       (C) any other relevant decision-making process for policy, 
     planning, and spending in global health security, biodefense, 
     or vaccine and medical countermeasures research and 
     development.
       (d) United States Contributions.--Amounts authorized to be 
     appropriated under chapters 1 and 10 of part I and chapter 4 
     of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
     2151 et seq.) are authorized to be made available for United 
     States contributions to the Coalition.
       (e) Appropriate Congressional Committees.--In this section, 
     the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
       (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
       (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the Senate.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Smith) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania.


                             General Leave

  Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 2118.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2118, the Securing 
America From Epidemics Act.
  I thank my colleague, Representative Ami Bera, chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation 
for championing this important bill that will save the lives and 
protect the United States from the threat of future pandemics.
  This bill would authorize the United States to participate in the 
Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI, a private-
public partnership that helps accelerate the development of vaccines 
against emergent infections, including Ebola and COVID-19.
  The COVID-19 crisis has shown just how interconnected our world is 
and how important vaccines are to ending one of the greatest 
catastrophes of the 21st century. By developing vaccines and enabling 
countries to administer vaccine doses effectively, we can end 
pandemics. We do this by ensuring vaccines get into the arms of the 
most vulnerable, and by instilling confidence in people that the 
vaccine saves lives.
  Now more than ever with the rise of the deadly delta variant, and 
COVID-19 cases ravaging clusters across the country where vaccination 
rates are low, the collective resources of the private sector, 
multilateral organizations, national governments, civil society, and 
health experts are all vital to ending the pandemic.
  By supporting CEPI, we demonstrate the value of leveraging individual 
strengths towards collective action and create a leading global 
framework of developing an effective vaccine response to stop future 
pandemics.

[[Page H3655]]

  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Securing America From Epidemics 
Act.
  I thank my colleagues, Congressmen Bera and Fitzpatrick, for 
introducing this bill and for their work to address this important 
issue.
  COVID-19 has shown once again that pandemics know no borders, and 
that the United States and the world must be better prepared to respond 
to disease outbreaks, including pandemics, around the world.
  The bill authorizes the United States to participate in the Coalition 
for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI, an alliance of 
countries and private partners that are financing and coordinating the 
developing of new vaccines for infectious diseases.
  In addition to COVID-19, CEPI has developed a list of priority 
diseases with epidemic potential, including MERS, the Middle East 
Respiratory Syndrome.
  By leveraging contributions from member states with expertise and 
funding by private partners, CEPI seeks to develop vaccines before a 
disease outbreak occurs.
  I would note, parenthetically, that in October of 2020, the Trump 
administration gave CEPI a $20 million grant to advance its work.
  Mr. Speaker, according to the Johns Hopkins Resource Center, COVID-19 
has killed over 4,092,000 people worldwide, including 609,000 in the 
United States and in my home State of New Jersey, 26,545 deaths, the 
most COVID-19 deaths per capita in the United States.
  The pandemic could cost the global economy approximately $10 
trillion, or more than 12 percent of global GDP. The loss of jobs and 
businesses is unprecedented in modern times. And all of us know it from 
our case work working with our local businesses. This has been an 
incredibly horrible pandemic, and we have to make sure it is never 
repeated.
  Developing vaccines and treatment for emerging infectious diseases is 
not just an issue of individual health, but it is important to national 
security, including economic security.
  Our committee has worked together on many pieces of legislation over 
the last several months in response to COVID-19. The SAFE Act, for 
example, is an example of this kind of bipartisan effort.
  I urge all my colleagues who believe we must do all we can to prevent 
another pandemic like COVID-19 from emerging in the future to support 
this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for 
the purpose of closing.
  Mr. Speaker, COVID-19 has demonstrated the need for collective global 
action to end pandemics. The Securing America From Epidemics Act 
authorizes the United States to galvanize that collective response by 
partnering in CEPI so that we may lead in building a more effective 
global framework.
  We call COVID-19 a once-in-a-century pandemic, but we all share 
concerns that with the world growing smaller and smaller every day that 
these outbreaks will only become more and more frequent and clearly 
more catastrophic. There is an urgent need for the public-private 
global action H.R. 2118 would help accelerate, not only for COVID-19, 
but God forbid, for any other future pandemics.
  I thank my colleague, Representative Ami Bera, for his leadership in 
championing this bill. I urge my colleagues to support this 
legislation, and, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Houlahan) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2118.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
  Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion 
are postponed.

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