[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 194 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S7797]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. Marshall, Mrs. Gillibrand, 
        and Ms. Ernst):
  S. 3203. A bill to establish the Commission on the COVID-19 Pandemic; 
to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to speak in support of my 
bipartisan bill, the National Commission on the COVID-19 Pandemic Act. 
This bill would establish a 9/11-style Commission to conduct an 
investigation on the COVID-19 outbreak and identify lessons learned 
regarding preparedness, response, and recovery. I would like to thank 
my cosponsors, Senators Marshall, Gillibrand, and Ernst, for joining me 
in introducing this crucial bill.
  Like we did after the devastating September 11 terrorist attacks, our 
bill would establish a bipartisan Commission on the COVID-19 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 in the future.
  To date, COVID-19 has caused more than 750,000 deaths in the United 
States and infected at least 46 million people.
  Beyond the devastating toll it has taken on human lives, the pandemic 
revealed vulnerabilities in our preparedness for dealing with such a 
deadly virus.
  At the beginning of the U.S. outbreak, hospitals struggled to secure 
enough personal protective equipment to keep health workers safe. As 
the pandemic worsened, we saw additional shortages in critical medical 
equipment like ventilators and other medical products that save lives, 
including testing supplies.
  As we waited for effective treatments and vaccines to be developed 
and approved, testing and mask wearing supplemented with physical 
distancing and other nonpharmaceutical tools were our only weapons 
combating the spread of the virus. However, we knew these tactics alone 
wouldn't ultimately defeat the virus.
  After unprecedented scientific collaboration and innovation, we now 
finally have three FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines that are safe, 
effective, and free for all Americans. While getting as many people 
vaccinated as possible remains the only path out of the pandemic, 
barriers to access and misunderstanding about the safety of the 
vaccines have delayed too many Americans from getting their vaccine.
  Disturbingly, throughout the pandemic, we have seen an increase in 
hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community 
due to racially discriminatory language related to COVID-19. Possible 
underreporting means this problem may be even more prevalent than we 
know.
  Finally, after examining all available intelligence reporting and 
information, the intelligence community remains divided on the most 
likely origin of COVID-19. According to the latest declassified 
assessment on COVID-19 origins, more information is needed to provide a 
more definitive explanation of how the virus emerged.
  The Commission that would be established by our bipartisan bill would 
conduct a comprehensive investigation of our government's preparedness 
and response to the COVID-19 pandemic and make recommendations on how 
we can be better prepared in the future.
  Modeled after the 9/11 Commission, this investigative body would 
complement other oversight efforts in Congress and the administration.
  The Commission would be composed of 10 members who aren't current 
Federal officials, with the same partisan balance as the 9/11 
Commissioners and with a variety of backgrounds in relevant fields, 
including public health, epidemiology, emergency preparedness, medical 
intelligence, and others; 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 as well as abroad, 
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; and gather information and hold hearings to eventually 
publish public reports on the Commission's findings and 
recommendations.
  The global COVID-19 pandemic showed just how unprepared we were to 
respond to a major public health threat that has continued for almost 2 
years. This lack of readiness caused widespread shutdowns of society in 
the United States and across the globe, resulting in a number of 
preventable deaths too high to comprehend.
  As we mourn those we lost, we must acknowledge that this pandemic is 
still not over and the threat of a new virus emerging that has greater 
pandemic potential looms. This Commission will ensure we learn from our 
achievements as well as our tragedies during this modem plague so that 
it may never happen again.
  I want to thank the Infectious Diseases Society of America for their 
support of our bill, and I look forward to working with my colleagues 
to pass it.

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