Millions of people lost their lives and our country suffered a $16 trillion economic loss because of Covid-19. It is absolutely critical that we make serious investments in pandemic preparedness now in order to avoid the next pandemic, which could be even worse than our current one.
As a member of Congress, I will do everything in my power to:
- Ensure we pass Biden's Pandemic Preparedness Plan
- Work to reduce biological risks that will help us prevent outbreaks in the first place and prevent outbreaks from becoming pandemics.
- Increase funding for Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and invest in prevention and preparedness R & D. This agency is the primary place where the federal government advances vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics.
- Develop systems that help us identify possible outbreaks and pandemics early, such as metagenomic sequencing and wastewater sampling, so that we can better contain them.
- Create vaccines now that will protect us from future viruses. Developing these vaccines now will help us save countless lives. This will also help us greatly reduce the need for lockdowns and quarantines.
- Design better personal protective equipment that is reusable, sterilizable, and better minimizes the spread of a virus.
- Develop better, cheaper testing
- Increase oversight, update enforcement, and broaden the scope for Dual Use Research of Concern.
