Senator Hassan Votes to Advance Bipartisan Package that Includes Hassan-Backed Measures to Produce Emergency Supplies Here at Home

WASHINGTON – The Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee today advanced major bipartisan legislation that includes key measures secured by Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) to help ensure that the United States is prepared for any future public health emergencies. Importantly, the PREVENT Pandemics Act includes Senator Hassan’s bipartisan legislation that she introduced with Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) to ensure access to medical supplies during public health emergencies. It will help reduce America’s dependence on foreign adversaries like China for critical supplies, boost domestic manufacturing, and improve transparency to ensure the effectiveness of the Strategic National Stockpile during future public health emergencies.

“When a public health emergency hits, we must to do everything in our power to ensure that we are ready to respond,” Senator Hassan said. “At the bare minimum, health care workers should have the medical supplies that they need to stay safe and treat patients. That is why it’s important that the PREVENT Pandemics Act that passed out of committee includes my bill with Senator Cassidy to make needed improvements to the Strategic National Stockpile, including through strengthening manufacturing of critical goods here at home. I urge my colleagues to bring this comprehensive legislation up for a full vote in the Senate without delay.”

“COVID-19 showed the danger of our nation’s dependence on China and other foreign countries for life-saving supplies,” said Dr. Cassidy. “The Senate is a step closer to strengthening the Strategic National Stockpile, producing supplies at home, and supporting American production independence.”

The HELP Committee also voted to advance other bipartisan measures in the PREVENT Pandemic Act that were introduced by Senator Hassan, including:

• The Medical Countermeaures Surge Capacity Act that she introduced with Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) to improve America’s capacity to quickly develop drugs, vaccines, and diagnostic tools in response to a public health emergency. Learn more here.
• The Safe Authorization for Vaccines during Emergencies (SAVE) Act, which she introduced with Senators Mike Braun (R-IN) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), that requires the Food and Drug Administration to increase public transparency of its emergency use authorization process to help assure the public that vaccines are safe and effective. Learn more here.

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