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Washington, D.C. (March 16, 2022) – Below is Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis Chairman James E. Clyburn’s opening statement, as delivered, for today’s roundtable on “Moving Beyond the Coronavirus Crisis: Perspectives from Public Health Experts.”
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Opening Statement
Chairman James E. Clyburn
Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis Roundtable
“Moving Beyond Coronavirus Crisis: Perspectives from Public Health Experts”
March 16, 2022
Good afternoon. I would like to thank our panelists and Members for joining us for this important discussion.
In March 2020, the United States declared the coronavirus a national emergency. Our country quickly descended into the worst public health crisis in over a century. At that time, we had few tools to protect ourselves and our families from the coronavirus. Our lives changed dramatically overnight. Many people faced devastating choices—between staying home to stay safe, or earning a living for their families while putting themselves at considerable risk.
Two years later, we live in a different world. We now have abundant tools to fight the coronavirus. Most importantly, we have safe and effective vaccines, which have already saved countless lives. And, for those at greatest risk, we now have treatments that are highly effective at preventing the coronavirus from causing severe illness, hospitalization, and death.
Thanks to President Biden’s leadership, we are emerging from the crisis phase of the coronavirus pandemic.
As a result of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts, the nation has made significant progress in containing the virus. The Administration has helped to vaccinate over two-thirds of Americans, overseen the development of life-saving treatments, and provided critical supplies like N-95 masks and rapid tests to Americans for free. These steps have saved lives, reduced the burdens on hospitals around the country, and enabled robust recovery.
The numbers of newly reported cases and hospitalizations nationwide are now at their lowest levels in nearly eight months. Reflecting the tremendous progress that has been made, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been able to ease recommended mitigation measures in communities in which 98 percent of the American public lives.
Now that we have the tools to fight the coronavirus, we can transition away from treating the coronavirus as a crisis. Those of us who are fully vaccinated and boosted can now feel safe going about our daily lives without putting our communities at undue risk.
Of course, just as public health officials work continuously to protect the American people from a wide array of health threats, our nation’s response to the coronavirus must continue in the post-crisis phase. We must take particular care to protect the most vulnerable. We know that the coronavirus can surprise us.
Recognizing this, the Biden Administration recently released the National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan, which sets forth a robust and comprehensive strategy for the next phase of the pandemic response. The plan outlines critical steps to ensure that we can continue to protect against and treat the coronavirus, prepare for new variants, keep our businesses and schools open, and vaccinate the world.
For the President’s plan to succeed, however, Congress must provide additional funding. Yesterday, Administration officials notified Congress of the dangerous consequences that will occur if we fail to act:
If Congress fails to provide additional funding, we will be unable to secure sufficient booster doses or variant-specific vaccines if they are needed in the future. Providers will no longer be able to submit claims for testing, treating, and vaccinating the uninsured. We will be forced to end the purchase of critical coronavirus treatments. In addition, we will not be able to invest in a universal coronavirus vaccine that would provide protections from all future variants. Our testing capacity will decrease, as will our ability to rapidly identify and assess emerging variants so that we can respond expeditiously.
In short, if Congress fails to act, we must increase the risk that our hard-earned progress will be squandered and the coronavirus will become a national crisis once again. To my colleagues who are concerned about the cost, I would offer the time-honored axiom that I trust the public health experts joining us today are very familiar with: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
I look forward to hearing from these experts about how we can move forward and stay beyond the coronavirus crisis and how the Biden Administration’s plan will help us achieve those goals if we provide the resources to carry it out.
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