Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Bob Menendez
NEWARK, N.J. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) today stood outside University Hospital in Newark with frontline heath care workers and families of those who died from COVID-19 to demand Congress pass bipartisan, bicameral legislation he co-authored to create an independent, 9/11-style commission to investigate the nation’s pandemic response and develop a series of recommendations to improve the country’s readiness for future public health crises.
“We owe it to the families of the more than 600,000 people lost to COVID-19 to get answers—just as we did for the families of the nearly 3,000 Americans who perished on September 11, 2001,” said Sen. Menendez. “It should be a national outrage that COVID-19 has claimed more than 200 times the number of lives lost on 9/11, and Congress has yet to establish a similar independent, nonpartisan commission to investigate what went wrong how we can be more prepared for the next pandemic.”
Sens. Menendez and Susan Collins (R-Maine) have introduced The National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021, which has been endorsed by experts and high-ranking officials from both Republican and Democratic administrations, including former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretaries Jeh Johnson, who joined the senator today in Newark, Michael Chertoff and Tom Ridge, and former Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke, as well as numerous health care organizations and groups representing COVID-19 survivors and victims’ families.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH SEN. MENENDEZ’S REMARKS
“This is not about pointing fingers; it is about identifying what went right, what went wrong, learning from our mistakes and making sure we do not repeat them,” the Senator continued. “Never again must the United States of America be caught with its guard down in the face of a deadly and contagious virus.”
The Commission is closely modeled after the 9/11 Commission that investigated the September 11, 2001 terror attacks and will have a broad mandate and subpoena power to examine the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. It will make a full and complete accounting of the nation’s preparedness and response, including but not limited to the following topics:
- the origins and initial spread of COVID-19
- communication with foreign governments regarding public health threats, including early warning, detection, prevention and response
- federal, state and local intergovernmental coordination
- interagency communication and information sharing
- vaccine development and distribution
- public health surveillance and testing
- availability of medical equipment and supplies, including personal protective equipment (PPE)
- preparedness and response of hospital, nursing homes and other congregate settings
- scientific research
- economic relief policies
- health and economic disparities affecting racial and ethnic minority populations and other communities that have been disproportionately harmed
- State, local, Tribal, and territorial government preparedness and response
Full bill text can be downloaded here.
“I salute Senators Menendez and Collins for their bipartisan sponsorship of the National Coronavirus Commission Act,” said former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, who served under President Barack Obama. “The COVID-19 pandemic was a once-in-a-century tragedy that touched every corner of our Nation and took 600,000 American lives. It didn’t have to be this bad. Now, Congress owes it to the American people to establish a commission to find answers and solutions. Those who don’t learn from history are bound to repeat it.”
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Sens. Menendez and Collins made their case for the bill in an op-ed published last week in the New York Times.
“For every COVID death, there are an estimated nine close family members left behind. That’s an estimated 5.4 million Americans left with PTSD, feelings of guilt and anxiety, lack of closure, and the burden of knowing that their loved ones died traumatized, isolated, and alone. No family deserves this,” said Covid-19 Loss Support for Family & Friends founder Sabila Khan, who lost her father to COVID-19 and shared her story during the press conference. “Today, we thank Senators Menendez and Collins for their leadership in bringing forth the bill for a COVID-19 commission. We believe that a nonpartisan, independent, equitable, fully funded, comprehensive, and fair COVID commission must center the voices, experiences, and needs of the communities most gravely impacted by this virus—not only the bereaved but also frontline healthcare workers and COVID long haulers. We must take a full and unvarnished look at what happened and why, so that we can understand how to make sure it never happens again.”
“COVID has killed more than 600,000 Americans and by some estimates, more than 400,000 of those deaths were preventable. Millions more survived COVID with serious, long-term health challenges. We must examine what went wrong so that we make sure it never happens again—and we must do that in a way that is comprehensive, nonpartisan, and equitable, with the voices and experiences of those most directly impacted by COVID at the center,” said Chris Kocher, executive director of COVID Survivors for Change. “We thank Senators Menendez and Collins for their leadership and urge Congress to pass into a law this year a strong, transparent, and fully funded COVID commission.”
“The American people deserve more than a celebratory parade as the nation prepares to emerge from the COVID Pandemic. Beyond the 600,000 lives lost and families shattered there remains a generation of Americans struggling with the disabling aftermath of even mild cases of COVID. Long-term COVID is the shadow pandemic that will haunt us for years to come, affecting the backbone of our economy. This is not to mention the personal debt crisis looming for all those affected by COVID and its myriad of implications for both health care and employment. We must offer wraparound services to those in need and we must delve deeply into what worked and didn’t during this crisis; how we emerge from COVID will determine who we are as a people. We must emerge stronger, and with a more accessible health care system. Only a Commission, with a comprehensive approach to addressing this problem, can achieve these goals,” said Diana Berrent, founder of Survivor Corps, a COVID-19 support and advocacy group.
The legislation is supported by the BPC (Bipartisan Policy Center) Action, American Health Care Association, American Medical Association, American Hospital Association, American Nurses Association, New Jersey Hospital Association, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Physicians, National Hispanic Medical Association, National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians, Third Way, National Restaurant Association, American Hotel & Lodging Association, Small Business Majority, Project on Government Oversight, Leading Age, UnidosUS, The Arc of the United States, Alliance for Aging Research, Alzheimer’s Association, National Low Income Housing Coalition, the National Housing Law Project, COVID Survivors for Change, and Survivor Corps.
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“Recently, I testified to the United States Senate that, while our nation is now much more prepared for public health crises since last year, major reform is still needed to truly prepare our health care system for the next pandemic. There is still much work to do to identify every opportunity to improve our preparedness and response. An independent, 9/11-style commission to investigate the nation’s pandemic response, including recommendations that will require action at every level of leadership, could ultimately be a lifesaving endeavor when the next pandemic occurs. I strongly support this initiative and commend Senator Menendez for his leadership on this in the Senate,” said Shereef Elnahal, MD, MBA, President and CEO, University Hospital.
“It quickly became clear to us in the early days of the pandemic that our state, our country and our healthcare facilities were woefully unprepared for a pandemic disaster of this magnitude. We applaud Senator Menendez for sponsoring a bill that calls for a COVID pandemic review commission, which will review the challenges of the past with an eye towards improving our ability to respond in the future,” said Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE) President Debbie White, a registered nurse. “Our nurses and healthcare workers need resources, protections and training so they can best provide care and keep workers safe. This bill provides the guidance needed to achieve those goals and we urge lawmakers to move this legislation immediately.”
The National Coronavirus Commission will craft policy recommendations after identifying the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic regarding the structure, coordination and procedures of the Federal Government, State, Tribal, territorial and local governments, and nongovernmental entities. Those recommendations will seek to improve the ability of all levels of government and the private sector to prevent, respond to and prepare for future public health emergencies.
“Just as we did after the September 11th terror attacks, our government must conduct a thorough, nonpartisan investigation to identify areas in which we can improve our nation’s preparedness and response to future pandemics,” said former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who served under President George W. Bush, and co-chaired the ReOpen DC Advisory Group, which provided recommendations and expert guidance on safely reopening the District of Columbia. “It’s critical that we learn from our experience with COVID-19 so we can better protect our nation’s health security. That’s why I fully support the National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021 and applaud Senators Menendez and Collins for leading this bipartisan effort. An independent, 9/11-style commission will credibly look into our COVID-19 response and develop sweeping recommendations to strengthen our hospitals and public health systems, enhance our abilities to detect, track and prevent emerging health crises, safeguard our economy, and ensure we have the tools and resources necessary to protect the American people.”
The National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021 establishes a ten-member independent body comprised of prominent Americans with expertise in government service, public health, commerce, scientific research, public administration, intelligence gathering, national security, and/or foreign affairs. The President and congressional leadership will have 60 days to appoint the Commission members following the enactment of the legislation. The Commission will hold public hearings and issue a publicly available report to the President and Congress within 18 months of its inception, with the possibility of limited extensions if necessary. To ensure independence, the Commission is required to hire an ethics counsel to address potential and actual conflicts of interest by any member.
Congressmen Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.-07) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.-25) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives, making this bill the only bipartisan, bicameral proposal calling for an independent, non-partisan investigation of America’s response to COVID-19.
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