Washington, D.C. -Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, delivered a statement on the House Floor in support of the Resolution to Establish the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis:
Watch Chairwoman Maloney’s floor statement.
Floor Statement of Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney
(As Prepared for Delivery)
Committee on Oversight and Reform
Resolution to Establish the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis
April 23, 2020
I rise in strong support of this resolution, which establishes a new Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis within the Committee on Oversight and Reform. I look forward to working closely with the distinguished Majority Whip from South Carolina, Mr. Clyburn, on this very important effort.
As the Speaker has explained, this new subcommittee is modeled directly after the Truman Committee, which saved billions of taxpayer dollars during World War II and helped mobilize our nation, our industries, and our entire population for war.
Harry Truman explained at the time that it was critical during this effort to conduct oversight to prevent the waste of taxpayer funds rather than waiting until after they were spent. Catching problems early and correcting them immediately saved not only money, but lives.
Today, our nation, our economy, and our people face a similar mobilization effort as we engage in this war against coronavirus. And let me be clear, right now we are only in the first battle.
This week, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that we could face a second, more deadly wave of coronavirus this fall. He warned that it could “actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through."
But our national stockpile is nearly depleted. We need protective equipment, we need critical medical supplies, we need tests, and we need new vaccines and treatments.
We need all the supplies and materials necessary not only to safeguard our current medical workers, but to restore our stockpiles, and to build them up so we are ready for the next battle, and the one after that, and whatever else comes our way.
This is something we all should be able to agree on. This should be a bipartisan effort, and I encourage all of my colleagues to come together to protect the interests of American taxpayers and to promote the most efficient, effective, equitable, and transparent mobilization in history in response to this deadly crisis.
