[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 12, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S190-S192]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. CARDIN (for himself and Mr. Hagerty):
  S. 3492. A bill to address the importance of foreign affairs training 
in national security, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Foreign Relations.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce an act, co-
sponsored

[[Page S191]]

by Senator Hagerty, that addresses the importance of foreign affairs 
training to national security and, more specifically, intends to 
improve training and professional development of the Foreign Service 
officers and civil service staff at the U.S. State Department.
  This act calls for the State Department to move beyond its 
traditional approach towards a more robust professional training 
program, incorporating innovative education and training courses, 
methods, and opportunities. Employees of the State Department have a 
long, honorable tradition of providing excellence in diplomacy, but it 
is time to modernize the training and professional development they 
receive, enabling them to more effectively promote our national 
security interests abroad and ensuring the retention of our best and 
brightest employees.
  The legislation will accomplish the following: provide a more 
effective and updated training program for employees of the State 
Department, to include increased virtual instruction that is 
interactive and more accessible to personnel deployed around the world, 
as well as increased training provided by partner organizations such as 
universities, industry entities, and nongovernmental organization, 
NGOs: establish a Chief Learning Officer position to serve as the 
principal adviser to the Secretary of State and strategist for State 
Department training and development; and establish a nonpartisan Board 
of Visitors to provide independent advice and recommendations regarding 
training at the Foreign Service Institute.
  Other key elements of the legislation include establishment of a 
clear link between required employee training and promotional 
opportunities and assignments at the State Department; a ``training 
float'' strategy that will allow 10 to 15 percent of Foreign Service 
and civil service officers and staff to participate in training at any 
given time; a call for the State Department to establish new fellowship 
programs for Foreign Service and civil service officers and staff in 
addition to the current Pearson and Brookings Fellowship Programs, 
allowing them to participate in short- and long-term opportunities at 
think tanks, nongovernmental organizations, the Department of Defense, 
industry entities, and relevant university programs; and establishment 
of a Center for Innovation in Training and a Provost position at the 
Foreign Service Institute, to evaluate all courses and curriculum 
offered by FSI and identify necessary updates to meet the frequent 
changes required by officers due to changing global dynamics.
  The Department of State is a crucial national security agency, whose 
employees, both Foreign Service and civil service, require the best 
possible training at every stage of their careers to prepare them to 
promote and defend U.S. national interests and the health and safety of 
U.S. citizens abroad.
  As chair of the Subcommittee on U.S. State Department and USAID 
Management, International Operations, and Bilateral International 
Development, along with Ranking Member Senator Hagerty, I have presided 
over the first two in a planned series of subcommittee hearings on 
modernization of the State Department. The most recent hearing, held in 
November of last year, made clear that the numerous studies issued 
about the State Department's need to change its culture, starting with 
an innovative training and professional development program, were on 
the mark.
  During the hearing, we heard that ``everything is fine'' at State in 
terms of training, while the Department's retention rate indicates the 
loss of experienced Foreign Service officers and civil servants. 
External witnesses Ambassador David Miller, president of the Diplomatic 
Studies Foundation, and Joshua Marcuse, who formerly served as the 
Executive Director of the Defense Innovation Board, painted a very 
different picture, calling for an overarching effort to change the 
culture of the State Department--which as one of the oldest Federal 
Departments is steeped in tradition and protocol--to transform it once 
again into the lead Agency executing American foreign policy overseas.
  The level of challenges the State Department faces now around the 
world are almost unprecedented, with the return of great power 
competition, the rise of authoritarianism, the collapse of Afghanistan, 
climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and--not least--assisting 
American citizens around the world. Professional education and training 
must be top priorities at the State Department, and we must strengthen 
the professionalization of our diplomats through a career-long program 
that focuses on mastery of substantive foreign policy issues, 
diplomatic expertise, superb customer service for American citizens 
abroad, and leadership.
  Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave a speech last fall on 
``Modernizing American Diplomacy,'' and one of the five pillars he 
described is that of building and retaining a diverse, dynamic, and 
entrepreneurial workforce, and empowering and equipping State 
Department employees to succeed. This bill will kick-start the 
rebuilding effort Mr. Blinken spoke about, putting the emphasis on 
training and professional development of the Department's greatest 
asset: its people.
  I remain committed to continuing to work with the Biden 
administration and my colleagues in Congress to provide every 
opportunity for State Department employees to receive the best possible 
training at every stage of their careers, to prepare them to promote 
and defend U.S. national interests and the health and safety of U.S. 
citizens abroad.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. CARDIN (for himself and Ms. Collins):
  S. 3493. A bill to require guidance on extending expiration dates for 
certain drugs, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today to highlight legislation I am 
introducing with the senior Senator from Maine, Ms. Collins, to address 
prescription drug shortages. We rely on prescription drugs to battle 
infectious diseases like SARS-CoV-2, for the treatment of cancer and 
hormonal disorders and in countless other facets of modern medicine. 
When drug shortages, which are unforeseen supply disruptions, occur, 
healthcare teams must scramble to develop new plans of care because the 
optimal treatment is no longer available. The Drug Shortages Shelf Life 
Extension Act will help tackle drug shortages by enabling the Food and 
Drug Administration, FDA, to extend the shelf of certain drugs at risk 
of shortage in a safe fashion.
  Prescription drug shortages are a persistent problem, leading to 
diminished access to vital medications and potentially catastrophic 
outcomes for patients. FDA wrote in its 2019 Drug Shortages Task Force 
Report that discarding drugs if they exceed an unnecessarily short 
expiration date can exacerbate drug shortages. Essentially, the shelf 
life for certain drugs can be safely extended, and I support empowering 
authorities to do so to prevent drug shortages.
  Last year, I introduced the Drug Shortages Prevention & Quality 
Improvement Act. The legislation would address some of the main causes 
of drug shortages and provide solutions to mitigate their effects. The 
legislation would give the FDA additional tools to mitigate drug 
shortages, such as extending shelf lives for certain essential drugs. 
This legislation also seeks to address prescription drug shortages by 
creating incentives for manufacturers to upgrade their facilities to 
prevent shortages. Some of the facilities FDA has tied to drug 
shortages have been operating continually since the 1960s with minimal 
upgrades to manufacturing lines and facilities. The FDA Drug Shortages 
Task Force report found that quality concerns caused 62 percent of drug 
shortages from 2013 to 2017.
  Last April, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, HELP, 
Committee Chair Murray and Ranking Member Burr announced plans to 
develop a bipartisan initiative to prepare the Nation for future public 
health emergencies in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. I applaud this 
effort to modernize our national response efforts for the current 
pandemic and future pandemics and look forward to consideration of this 
legislation on the floor of the Senate. I was particularly pleased to 
see language included in the HELP Committee's discussion draft for this 
preparedness initiative from the Drug Shortages Shelf Life Extension 
Act. Extending shelf lives of certain

[[Page S192]]

drugs is not only critical to prevent drug shortages but also to enable 
our prescription drug supply chain to be more responsive and better 
prepared to respond to public health emergencies.
  Domestically, we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. We are 
nearing record-high hospitalizations due to COVID-19, including record-
high levels for children. In my State of Maryland, we have encountered 
a new record-high hospitalization level every day since December 29. 
For many patients, the severity and mortality rates are lower due to 
higher vaccination levels and better treatments gleaned from our 
experience in battling COVID-19 so far, but these high hospitalization 
rates are straining an already overburdened system.
  As we continue fighting the pandemic, in addition to other diseases 
and illnesses, timely access to medications is essential for our 
healthcare providers and their patients. The Drug Shortages Shelf Life 
Extension Act would require FDA to update guidance tied to manufacturer 
testing of the shelf life of prescription drug and to report to 
Congress on actions taken to update the shelf life dates of relevant 
drugs. Shelf life expiration dates are established through regulations 
governing prescription drug stability testing, which need to be 
reexamined since they have not been amended since 1981. I look forward 
to working with the Biden administration as it implements this 
essential legislation and related regulations.
  I urge my colleagues to join Senator Collins and me in support of the 
Drug Shortages Shelf Life Extension Act to improve access to essential 
prescription drugs and to prevent or mitigate future drug shortages. No 
one should have to go without essential prescriptions drugs when usable 
supplies are available but have potentially inaccurate use-by dates 
stamped on their box or bottle.

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