WASHINGTON, DC - The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, chaired by Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS), announced a hearing for Friday, June 15, at 9 a.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “The State of U.S. Public Health Biopreparedness: Responding to Biological Attacks, Pandemics, and Emerging Infectious Disease Outbreaks."
Earlier this week, #SubHealth held a legislative hearing to review a bipartisan discussion draft that would reauthorize the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA). Next week, #SubOversight will build off that by work assessing the country’s readiness and capability to: anticipate, respond to, and mitigate a biological threat, whether such threat be from an attack, accident or naturally occurring event such as a disease outbreak. #SubOversight will also have a chance to hear about the potential consequences of not reauthorizing these vital programs ahead of their funding expiration.
The following witnesses have been confirmed to testify:
* Rick A. Bright, Ph.D., Director, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority; Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services;
* Anne Schuchat, M.D. (RADM, USPHS), Principal Deputy Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services;
* Anthony Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health; and
* RADM Denise Hinton, Chief Scientist, U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“Sadly, we live in a world that continues to present new threats each and every day. It is critically important to both our public health and national defense that we know our capabilities and what we as a country are doing to fend off potential threats," said #SubOversight Chairman Harper. “While we work to finalize a PAHPA reauthorization, it’s also important we know how and where these critical taxpayer dollars are spent."
The Majority Memorandum, witness list, and witness testimony for the hearing will be available here as they are posted.
