User login
Language
Anonymous's groups in this site
User is not a member of any group.
Your groups across all your sites
User is not a member of any group.
Recent Content
Who's online
There are currently 0 users online.
You are here
New bipartisan Congressional bill would improve US stockpile of medical supplies
Primary tabs
A bipartisan group of lawmakers released a bill in Congress Tuesday that they say will overhaul and improve the nation’s stockpile of critical medical supplies as the country looks to better prepare for pandemics.
The bill, sponsored by Sens. Maggie Hassan, Bill Cassidy and Rep. Elissa Slotkin and called the Strengthening America’s Strategic National Stockpile Act, would increase manufacturing of medical supplies in the US and provide more federal resources for states to maintain their own supplies.
The bill would increase funding for the stockpile from $610 million to $705 million for fiscal years 2022 through 2024.
Maintained by the federal government, the Strategic National Stockpile contains supplies – including vaccines and personal protective equipment – for use during public health emergencies.
The lawmakers say the Strategic National Stockpile was insufficient in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving the nation lacking critical supplies such as N95 respirators, other types of masks and gloves.
“This failure must never happen again,” Hassan said in a statement. “Our bill will make long overdue improvements to the Strategic National Stockpile and strengthen domestic manufacturing to help create jobs and reduce our reliance on foreign countries for PPE, ventilators, and other necessary supplies that keep Americans and Granite Staters safe.”
The bill would task the Health and Human Services secretary with ensuring supplies are sufficient and in working order.
The lawmakers note that the US had to rely on foreign suppliers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The bill aims to boost domestic production of supplies, including a $500 million pilot program to diversify sources of personal protective equipment. ...
The bill would introduce a $3.5 billion pilot program, which would award grants to support states in expanding and maintaining their own stockpiles. States would be required to match the grants with equal funding, though the HHS secretary could waive this requirement for the first couple of years. ...
Recent Comments