Congressional Record, Coronavirus Testing and Treatments — Senate, July 2, 2020
Summary
A page of the Congressional Record, Senate, dated July 2, 2020, beginning at page S4201, under the heading Coronavirus. After Mr. Sullivan thanks Mr. Alexander for kind comments about Alaska, Mr. Alexander discusses diagnostic tests and treatments for COVID-19 as 75 million students prepare to return to school and college. He cites Admiral Giroir's testimony that the country has done 30 million tests at about 500,000 tests a day, says the shark tank at the National Institutes of Health is aiming for a million new tests a day, and describes an antibody cocktail treatment not yet approved. He also lists preparedness questions on stockpiles, data, hospitals and public health. The page ends with remarks on defense bill provisions for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
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Cite this document
“Congressional Record, Coronavirus Testing and Treatments — Senate, July 2, 2020.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-07-02-crec-2020-07-02-pt1-pgs4201-c13bdba97a/
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July 2, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4201
I was trying to think of where in the or a year off of the amount of time be- Admiral Giroir testified this month
world to go on my 50th birthday, and I fore the vaccine comes and take that before our committee that our country
went to Anchorage, AK, to go fishing financial risk. I think all of us would has done 30 million tests—more than
at Halibut Cove. I had a wonderful time agree with that. any other country. We are doing that
and have a great memory. So the Sen- Instead of talking about vaccines at about the rate of 500,000 tests a day,
ator represents a really terrific State. today, which are next year’s solution, and he says that we will have four to
Mr. SULLIVAN. I thank my good let me talk about two aspects of five times that many in September.
friend from Tennessee for those kind COVID–19 that are this year’s solu- Now, I hear about problems in this
comments. tion—in fact, that are this fall’s solu- place or in that place about people not
CORONAVIRUS tion. One is diagnostic tests to find out getting tests or that it takes too long
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, whether you have the disease or not, for the results to come back from the
just 31⁄2 months ago, a sneaky, dan- and one is treatments, which is medi- labs. The fact is, that what is going on
gerous virus turned our country and cine that can be given to you to reduce now is every State in the country is de-
the world upside down. It is hard to be- the chance that you might be seriously veloping a plan for July through De-
lieve that it was just 31⁄2 months ago— ill or will even die. cember on how many tests States like
mid-March—that we were headed to- That is appropriate in the first place Indiana, Tennessee, and Alaska might
ward March Madness in basketball; because, in not very many weeks, need in working with the Federal Gov-
that our economy was roaring; that un- America will be headed back to school ernment, and the Federal Government
employment rates for about every cat- and to college. In Metro Nashville, TN, has been supplying Tennessee with
egory were as low as they had been in public school begins on August 4. All what Tennessee needs.
a long, long time. America felt really across the country, most colleges and In our State, for example, which is 1
good about itself. By the time we schools will be back in business by of the States that is in the top 10 of
would have gotten to the Fourth of Labor Day. There were 75 million stu- having frequent testing, the Governor
July, it would have been a terrific cele- dents who were casualties of COVID–19. has said: If you want a test, you can
bration except that here came this dan- They were sent home from school or have a test. Go down to your public
gerous, sneaky virus that turned our college in mid-March—100,000 public health department, and you will get
lives and those in countries all over the schools, 35,000 private schools, and 6,000 one for free. Now, whether they will be
world upside down. colleges. Graduations were canceled. able to continue that, we will see, but
I want to comment this afternoon on Sports championships and once-in-a- that is what we are doing today.
some aspects of where we are in terms Despite that, when 75 million stu-
lifetime events were canceled.
of COVID–19 based upon five congres- In our country today, two-thirds of dents try to go back to school and col-
sional hearings this month that I have married parents with children work lege, I imagine principals and adminis-
either chaired or attended in our HELP outside the home, and most single par- trators will want to test teachers fre-
ents work outside the home. Suddenly, quently, older people frequently, and
Committee or the one I participated in
their children were home. Teachers everybody in some classes if one stu-
today in Senator BLUNT’s Appropria-
dent gets sick, maybe everybody in an
tions Committee on Health. Of course, were not really prepared for such
elementary school if several students
Senator MURRAY, of Washington State, wholescale remote teaching, and par-
get sick, and maybe the parents and
is the ranking Democrat on both of ents were not prepared for
grandparents of the children if the chil-
those committees. homeschooling. So ever since mid-
Of course, much of the talk is about dren bring home the disease. So we are
March, students have been in limbo.
vaccines. Even though we have appro- We are looking forward to doing going to need a lot more tests.
This is why Senator BLUNT and I and
priated $3 trillion and another aston- whatever we can to help make sure
others worked together in the last leg-
ishing $3 trillion in credit, that is not that those 75 million students in islation to support what we called the
going to really solve the problem. The schools and colleges can go back to shark tank at the National Institutes
only cure for this disease, this virus, school and college this fall and go back of Health. This was an unprecedented
will ultimately be through testing, safely. That is the importance of tests effort at the National Institutes of
treatments, and vaccines. It is appro- and treatments. That is the first. Health, led by Dr. Francis Collins, who
priate that we talk about vaccines be- Now, there is another one, and it is
led the Human Genome Project and is
cause our country is moving more rap- not trivial. This is a sports-hungry one of the most distinguished sci-
idly than it ever has in producing a country. We love our sports, and every- entists in our country.
safe and effective vaccine for a new body has a different sport one likes. This is a project to see if we can find
virus. The question I asked Dr. Collins this a new way to create tens of millions of
As Dr. Francis Collins—the head of morning was: Are we going to have diagnostic tests that are what they call
the National Institutes of Health—told enough COVID–19 tests so we might be point-of-care tests. That means you
our subcommittee this morning, it usu- able to watch some football this fall or can take them instantly; that you can
ally takes, historically, 5 to 10 years to some basketball this winter? I had read get a result within an hour or so; and
create a vaccine. Here, the goal of the that the National Hockey League was that they are inexpensive and reliable.
administration’s warped speed effort to going to test every player every day in You don’t have to ship them off. You
create a vaccine is to have 300 million the National Hockey League. would probably do this with saliva. So
doses ready by the first of this coming It is not recommended by the Centers you might put a lollypop in your
year—in other words, 6 months from for Disease Control and Prevention. It mouth and let that saliva on the lol-
now. That is its aspirational goal. The is not standard for there to be wide- lypop indicate, one way or another,
administration is not sure it will get spread testing at schools and colleges, whether you have a positive or a nega-
there, but you don’t get anywhere if even though the president of Brown tive result.
you don’t set high goals. We know that University told our committee she Dr. Collins’ goal—and he said this is
as a country. So it has set an enor- would like to test all students on their a very aspirational goal—is to be able
mously ambitious goal. way back to Brown. to produce a million of those tests a
We are taking steps that are like The fact is, if we are going to be able day by Labor Day. This would change
none we have ever taken before, such to go back to school, back to college, our lives in many numbers of ways.
as Congress has appropriated money, back to work, out to eat, maybe even This would mean that Brown’s presi-
has approved, and is starting to build a watch a sports game, maybe even, in dent could surely test all students, not
manufacturing plant for a vaccine be- some cases, attend a sports game, we just once when they go back but more
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
fore we know that it works. Now, we are going to need a lot more quick, re- often. It would mean many sports
don’t do that before we know that it is liable tests. Let me talk about those, teams could test every player every
safe, but we will do it before we know just for a moment, in terms of going day if that is what it required.
that it works. We can be sure that, in back to school and going out to eat It would mean that we would prob-
some cases, we are going to lose that and, perhaps, being able to watch a lit- ably have more tests than we would
money, but it is better to cut 6 months tle football this fall. need.
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S4202 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 2, 2020
What would that do? showing any symptoms of having it. cines in the United States? Well, we
It would, one, help to contain the dis- But if you get it, there are already two didn’t. Now we are building it. Are we
ease so we could identify who has this or three treatments that your doctors, going sustain it?
disease so we could quarantine them your hospital can prescribe to shorten No. 2, what about our stockpiles? We
and the people they have exposed in- the time that you recover and to re- filled them up, and then they were de-
stead of quarantining all of us and duce the chance that you might die. pleted—the stockpile here, the stock-
keeping us from going back to school, Dr. Collins said that by the time we pile in the States. Hospitals needed
out to eat, and going to work. get to the fall, he expects there will be money. They sold off their stocks, and
It would contain the disease, and it more of these treatments approved by so they were depleted. We have now
would build confidence. If you are the FDA. There are different kinds of built them up, but are we going to sus-
working in a plant with 500 people and treatments, and he didn’t go into all tain that for the next pandemic or just
you know that 6 people have had to be the specifics, but one kind he men- say: OK, we beat COVID; let’s go and
tested because they had been tested tioned was the so-called antibody cock- worry about something else.
and were found to have been positive, tail. This was developed during the What about data? We are not getting
you are going to worry about that. Yet, time of Ebola, and it was approved by all the data we want in the way we
if you know that you could get a free the FDA. It helped us get rid of the should be getting it from the Centers
test today and any time you wanted Ebola disease before it came to the for Disease Control. Are we just going
and could get the result in an hour, I United States and caused a lot of trou- to forget that, or are we going to do
believe you would have more con- ble here. something about that now?
fidence in going to work or in going to This antibody cocktail—‘‘monoclonal Hospital preparedness. Hospitals
school or in going out to eat or even in antibody’’ is the longer name of it—is weren’t really ready. They did a mag-
playing on a football team whether you not approved yet. It is not proved to be nificent job of getting ready, but we
are in college or in high school. safe or effective yet, but because it was lagged on hospital preparedness. We
So we are pulling for Dr. Collins’ once before, there is a cautious opti- have built that up again. Are we going
shark tank and his effort to produce mism that it will be approved for to sustain it, or are we going to let it
these new ways of testing. They have COVID–19—a version of it—and that drop off once more?
had an unprecedented outpouring of ap- those will be ready by the fall. Our State and local public health. Al-
plications. He said most of them come If it does work out that this treat- most all of our public health efforts in
ment is safe and effective and approved this country are State and local. We
from smaller companies. They are
by the Food and Drug Administration, are not a small European country
down to 26, I believe is the number, and
there are several companies that have where everything is centralized. We are
they are putting them through this rig-
these antibody cocktails, and they a great big, complicated, diverse coun-
orous test. His goal is a million new
should be able to manufacture large try where parts of Indiana are very dif-
tests a day.
numbers of them. ferent from parts of Tennessee and
That is important for principals to
I guess my point is, we talk a lot Alaska and New York or wherever we
know and teachers to know and those
about vaccines. We spend every day are from, and as Governor Leavitt, who
who are hoping to play a little football
hearing about the deaths, the hos- testified before us, said, for 30 or 40
and watch a little basketball this fall—
pitalizations, and what is going on, and years, we have gradually disinvested in
that there might be plenty of quick, re-
this spike or that spike, but as we our public health system. We are not
liable tests to help contain the disease
think about 75 million students going building that up, but are we going to
in your community and to be confident
back to school and college, going back sustain it?
that you are in a safe place. So that is my hope, that when it
to work, whether we will see some foot-
And then what is the second thing we comes to building up this manufac-
ball or maybe basketball later, the two
could expect? turing capacity here in the United
aspects that are needed to determine
We heard about treatments. As Sen-
that are tests and whether the shark States, increasing our stockpiles to the
ator KENNEDY says in his inimitable
tank will produce enough of them and levels they should be, beginning to col-
way, people aren’t scared of the virus lect the data in the way it needs to be,
treatments, and both seem to have a
because they are afraid they might get preparing our hospitals to receive pa-
good possibility of being there for us in
sick; they are afraid they might die. tients, building up our State and local
the fall.
And they might, particularly if they We had a hearing last week that fo- public health—are we going to sustain
are in a vulnerable population or older cused on this question: How do we sus- that while we have our eye on the ball,
age. tain what we have built in this pan- or are we going to do what we have
There is no medicine for this virus, demic? In fact, one Senator lectured done for the last 20 years and slide off
or at least there wasn’t until recently. me a little bit and said: Why are we into a short memory?
Now there is one, Remdesivir, which worrying about the next pandemic? We Senator Bill Frist, who was majority
the United States has bought a huge are in the middle of this one. leader of this body, said that he made
amount of, which has been shown to re- And my answer was, because for the 20 speeches in 2005 and 2006 about what
duce by 32 percent—according to Dr. last 20 years, we forgot about the last we needed to do to be prepared for the
Fauci, who testified at our hearing yes- pandemic as soon as it was over, and next pandemic, which he said is surely
terday—reduce by 32 percent the then we got to the next pandemic, and coming. They did some things, but
amount of time it takes you to recover we weren’t as ready as we should be. most of the things that he said needed
from COVID–19. According to the ex- We have had four Presidents and sev- to be done weren’t done. We could do
perts who testified, there are other eral Congresses that passed nine laws them today if we would just have the
plasma medicines and steroids that to try to get us ready, and then here resolve to do them.
have shown to be helpful. That exists comes this sneaky, dangerous virus, Governor Leavitt said that before a
today. and we find some gaps in our prepara- pandemic, those who do what he and
So if you are a parent or a grand- tion. It is not President Trump’s gap. Senator Frist did, which was to say we
parent or a teacher or administrator It is not President Obama’s gap. It is need to do all these things, are called
worried about children going back to our gap because we didn’t do some of alarmists, and then after a pandemic or
school, you are probably not very wor- the things we should do. in the middle of it, they are called in-
ried about the children catching One of the things I believe each of us adequate to the task.
COVID–19 because, generally speaking, should do in this Senate is be willing Then there is the last point I would
they haven’t seemed to get sick from this year, this summer, to take the les- like to make, and it is about politics.
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
COVID–19—all around the world. It has sons we have learned and sustain what The COVID–19 virus—this sneaky, dan-
been older people who do. But the chil- we built, not just to complete our work gerous enemy—is a science matter, not
dren might come home and bring it to on this pandemic but to be ready for a political matter, but it has become
the parent or the grandparent. As I the next one. too much of a political matter.
said, this is a sneaky, dangerous virus. For example, do we have enough Take the issue of masks. We have
You can give it to somebody without manufacturing capacity for the vac- gotten into a situation where whether
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July 2, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4203
you wear a mask depends on your atti- OPENING STATEMENT While states and communities continue to
tude toward President Trump. For COVID–19: UPDATE ON PROGRESS TOWARD SAFE- take action to help keep people safe, nothing
many Americans, it seems that if you LY GETTING BACK TO WORK AND BACK TO was more disruptive to American life—and
SCHOOL—JUNE 30, 2020 nothing would head it back toward nor-
are pro-Trump, you don’t wear a mask,
All of our witnesses today are partici- malcy—than for those 135,000 public and pri-
and if you don’t like Trump, you do vate schools and 6,000 colleges to reopen safe-
wear a mask. pating in person, and some senators are par-
ticipating by videoconference. ly this Fall.
I suggested that the President might I’d like to say something about masks: Earlier this month this committee heard
occasionally wear a mask just to signal The Office of the Attending Physician has from college presidents and school leaders
to his followers that it is a good idea; advised that senators and witnesses may re- about their plans for safely reopening this
move their masks to talk into the micro- fall. This hearing is an opportunity for an
recommended by every single health update and to hear from the nation’s top
phone since our chairs are all six feet apart.
expert to wear a mask—certainly for So that’s why my mask is off—because I’m health experts on how headmasters, prin-
the protection of everybody else. six feet away from everyone else. But like cipals, superintendents, chancellors and col-
Another way to say it is that our many other senators on this committee, lege presidents can open their schools safely
athletic director at the University of when I’m walking the hallways or on the just a few weeks from now.
Senate floor, I’m wearing a mask. This committee last heard from today’s
Tennessee, Phillip Fulmer, said: If you
People wear masks because the Centers for four witnesses on May 12, when three of the
really, really want to watch some foot- four were quarantined and most of the sen-
Disease Control and Prevention advises the
ball, wear a mask. What he means by use of ‘‘simple cloth face coverings to slow ators participated virtually. That was one of
that is that it would help contain the the spread of the virus and help people who the first virtual senate hearings in history
disease in our area so the football play- may have the virus and do not know it from and surely the best watched virtual hearing.
ers can play safely. transmitting it to others.’’ Every network carried the two and half
Unfortunately this simple lifesaving prac- hours of statements and questions and an-
Well, yesterday the President made
tice has become part of a political debate swers from senators.
it clear. He said masks are good, and he that says: If you’re for Trump, you don’t The question before the country today is
is happy to wear them when he needs wear a mask. If you’re against Trump, you not about whether to go back to school or
to. Of course, the fact is, he doesn’t do. That is why I have suggested the presi- college or child care or work, but how to do
need to most of the time. He is tested dent should occasionally wear a mask even it safely. Even though COVID–19 has not, in
every day. People around him are test- though there are not many occasions when it general, hurt young children and college-age
ed. And—as I am not wearing one right is necessary for him to do so. The president students nearly as much as older or more
now—he is speaking most of the time. has millions of admirers. vulnerable Americans, there is some health
They would follow his lead. It would help risk. But in my view the greater risk is not
But there are times when I wear my going back to school.
end this political debate. The stakes are too
mask. When I leave the floor, I wear high for it to continue. Guidance for reopening schools from the
the mask. When I go back down the Around here, senators and staff wear American Academy of Pediatrics tells school
hall, I wear the mask. When I am in a masks—because we don’t want to make each administrators: ‘‘the AAP strongly advo-
smaller room, less than 6 feet away other sick. I was exposed to COVID–19 by a cates that all policy considerations for the
from somebody, I wear a mask, and I pre-symptomatic staff member on my way to coming school year should start with a goal
expect others to do that as well. Dulles Airport and, as a result, self-quar- of having students physically present in
antined for two weeks. The senate physician school.’’
Every expert who testified in the six told me one reason that I did not become in- The American Academy of Pediatrics adds:
hearings I attended this month said fected was because the staff member was ‘‘The importance of in-person learning is
there are three things to do: Wear a wearing a mask and that greatly reduced the well documented, and there is already evi-
mask, wash your hands, and stay 6 feet chances of exposure. dence of the negative impacts on children be-
apart when you can. If all of us do It’s also a pretty good way to make a cause of school closures in the spring of 2020.
statement. I like to wear my plaid mask. Dr. Lengthy time away from school and associ-
those things, we are much more likely
Fauci uses his mask to demonstrate his loy- ated interruption of supportive services
to be able to go back to school, back to alty to the Washington Nationals. Senator often results in social isolation, making it
college, back to work, out to eat, and Kaine is either a cowboy or a bandit. difficult for schools to identify and address
maybe even watch a little football. If you want college football to return this important learning deficits as well as child
Vanderbilt University did a survey in fall, like I do, listen to the words of Coach and adolescent physical or sexual abuse, sub-
the middle of May, and what they Fulmer at the University of Tennessee who stance use, depression, and suicidal ideation.
found was surprising. Most of the atti- told fans how they can help make that hap- This, in turn, places children and adolescents
pen: ‘‘If you really really want sports, foot- at considerable risk of morbidity and, in
tudes of people in Tennessee weren’t ball, and all those things, then wear a mask some cases, mortality. Beyond the edu-
about male versus female or east and keep social distancing,’’ he said last cational impact and social impact of school
versus west or any other difference; it week. closures, there has been substantial impact
was about Republican or Democrat. Re- The United States is in the middle of a on food security and physical activity for
publicans didn’t want to wear a mask very concerning rise in COVID–19 cases and children and families.’’
very much; the Democrats mostly did. hospitalizations in many states, and the ex- Dr. Lloyd Fisher, the incoming president
Republicans were eager to go out to perts in front of us today have told us that of the Massachusetts chapter of the Amer-
washing our hands, staying apart and wear- ican Academy of Pediatrics told reporters
eat; Democrats were a little slower. ing a mask are three of the most important last week: ‘‘While for most children COVID–
Republicans weren’t as worried about ways to slow the spread of the virus. 19 has not had the devastating and life-
catching the disease; Democrats were I am grateful to the Rules Committee, Ser- threatening physical health effects that have
pretty worried. The debate got too po- geant at Arms, the press gallery, the Archi- occurred in adults, the negative impact on
liticized. tect of the Capitol, the Capitol Police, and their education, mental health and social de-
I thank President Trump for what he our committee staff, Chung Shek and Evan velopment has been substantial,’’ he said.
Griffis, for all of their hard work to help ‘‘Nothing can take the place of the daily
said yesterday. He has 70 or 80 million keep all of us safe. face-to-face interaction our children experi-
people as his social media followers. If Among the casualties of COVID–19 are the ence when attending school in person.’’
they get the idea that wearing a ‘‘Make 75 million students who were sent home from Many American colleges—overall consid-
America Great Again’’ mask is good for schools and colleges in March. ered the best in the world—will be perma-
the country, I bet millions will wear it. Add to the casualties the teachers who nently damaged or even closed if they re-
If they do, the country will be safer, weren’t prepared to teach remotely and the main, in Brown University president Chris-
working parents who suddenly had school tina Paxsons words, ‘‘ghost towns.’’
the economy will be better, and we will
children at home and who weren’t prepared Mitch Daniels, the president of Purdue,
be able to go back to school and do the to home school. Add the lost sports seasons wrote in a Washington Post op-ed that for
other things we want to do. and once in a lifetime graduation cere- Purdue, ‘‘failure to take on the job of re-
Mr. President, I ask unanimous con- monies. Then there were unprecedented di- opening would be not only anti-scientific but
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
sent to have printed in the RECORD my lemmas for administrators and inadequate also an unacceptable breach of duty.’’
opening statement from our hearing school budgets. Being sent home from school So today, in addition to hearing more
yesterday. does not rank with the sickness and death about the concerning rise in cases and hos-
the virus has caused. The United States has pitalizations in some states in the U.S., I
There being no objection, the mate- over 2.5 million cases of the virus and over would like to ask our witnesses in their
rial was ordered to be printed in the 126,000 deaths according to Johns Hopkins statements and answers to questions to put
RECORD, as follows: University. themselves in the place of a superintendent
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S4204 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 2, 2020
of one of America’s approximately 14,000 For example, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee trace, and isolate those exposed or sick. And
school districts, or the principal or head- has told me that he is reserving as much as hopefully by the fall there will be treatments
master of one of the 135,000 schools, or the $1 billion of what Tennessee received so he to make the consequences of the disease less
president or chancellor of one of the 6,000 can determine what flexibility he has in severe.
colleges, and help them answer the question spending the money. Washington state has I look forward to hearing from our distin-
of how to reopen schools safely. not spent as much as $1.2 billion. According guished witnesses how school leaders and
So Dr. Fauci, I hope that in your opening the Missouri State Treasurer, Governor Par- college presidents can safely reopen 135,000
statement or in answers to questions you sons has not spent about $1 billion. schools and 6,000 colleges, and also learning
will suggest the steps a superintendent According to the report by state health of- the latest developments on testing and treat-
might take to open school safely, and how ficials and Johns Hopkins, an average salary ments that we can expect during the year
not only to keep children safe but to keep for a contact tracer would be a little more 2020 before vaccines arrive.
safe the adults—teachers, parents and grand- than $35,000. That adds up to about $3.5 bil- Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I
parents—with whom they come in contact. lion for 100,000 contact tracers. So Congress thank Senator BLUNT and Senator
Dr. Hahn—Will there be treatments or has already sent to states enough money to MURRAY for their cooperation this
medicines this fall that will help speed re- hire all the contact tracers that are needed. month in this series of six hearings
covery from COVID–19 or reduce the possi- Second, who pays for testing. In the that we have had on COVID–19.
bility of death? I believe the fear of going CARES Act, Congress voted to make all I think it is very important for the
back to school—or going anywhere these COVID–19 tests available to patients at no American people to know that while
days—is in large part because of the fear of cost. That meant insurers would cover diag-
there is a vaccine down the road, the
severe illness. If that risk can be lessened by nostic tests, which detect whether a person
new treatments, it should increase con- is currently infected with the virus, and also tests are coming, the fast tests, and
fidence in going back to school. antibody tests, which indicate whether a per- the treatments are coming. They
I’d also like to commend Dr. Hahn and the son has had COVID–19 in the past and now should be here by the fall. That is what
work FDA did to get tests on the market as may have immunity to future infection. the experts say. It is not what I say;
quickly as possible to help understand the Guidance from the Labor Department, the that is what the experts who testified
spread of the virus. Since then, FDA has Treasury Department, and the Centers for before us say.
worked out which tests have not worked as Medicare and Medicaid Services last week The experts all said the following: If
well as they should, and taken steps to re- said insurers are only required to pay for you want to contain the disease, if you
move them from the market. That’s what is tests without patient cost sharing if a doctor want to go back to school and back to
supposed to happen during a pandemic. orders it. I agree with that.
Admiral Giroir—at our last hearing you
college and back to work and out to
But given that the CDC specifically rec-
said you expected there to be 40–50 million ommends doctors order tests in 2 situa- eat and maybe even see a little foot-
diagnostic tests available each month by tions—when a person has signs or symptoms ball, stay 6 feet apart, wash your
September. Is that still true? And exactly of COVID–19, or recently had contact with hands, and wear a mask.
how does a school district go about making someone known or suspected to have COVID– I yield the floor.
sure it has those tests? And who pays for 19—who pays for testing at other times? I suggest the absence of a quorum.
them? What are the prospects from the I believe Congress will need to take further The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr.
‘‘shark tank’’ at NIH that there will be new action. For example, if a school wants to test BRAUN). The clerk will call the roll.
fast, reliable and inexpensive tests available its students randomly, perhaps that school The senior assistant legislative clerk
for more widespread testing? should coordinate with their state to become proceeded to call the roll.
Dr. Redfield—you are continuing to work a part of the state testing plan, making all Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask
on additional guidelines about going back to tests free to students and teachers. Congress unanimous consent that the order for
school and college safely. Are CDC employ- may need to provide more money to states to the quorum call be rescinded.
ees available to help states work with school cover that. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
districts or college administrators to develop If an automaker wants to test all its em-
their plans? And what advice do you have ployees at a plant every two weeks, perhaps objection, it is so ordered.
about the arrival of the flu season this fall at the automaker should pay for that testing or S. 4049
the same time as COVID–19? become part of a state testing program using Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I am
This is a lot to discuss but there will be funds already provided by the federal govern- on the floor today to talk about the an-
time during the next two and half hours to ment. nual National Defense Authorization
answer most of those questions. Third, flu shots. CDC has said more people Act to support our servicemembers and
Let me highlight three areas that have need to get flu shots this fall so health care their families. This is one of the few
come up in our four earlier hearings this workers can better distinguish between things that the Senate actually passes
month that I think need clarification. COVID–19 and the flu. CDC says a priority is
First, contact tracing. There is no doubt for all children over the age of 6 months be
and does so on a bipartisan basis, and I
contact tracing is crucially important to vaccinated for the flu so they don’t become am hopeful we will do that again. It is
identify anyone who might have been ex- sick and pass it to more vulnerable popu- because Republicans and Democrats
posed so that person doesn’t, in turn, expose lations who could have more severe con- alike recognize it is imperative to give
someone else. According to an NPR report on sequences. the men and women serving in our
June 18, states already have hired at least On January 24, Sen. Murray and I hosted Armed Forces the resources and sup-
37,000 contract tracers. State health officials our first bipartisan briefing on coronavirus port they need to carry out their crit-
and Johns Hopkins Center for Health Secu- at a time there were only 4 cases in the U.S. ical missions for all of us.
rity issued a report estimating a need for at Since then this committee has held 4 more This year, I am pleased to recognize
least 100,000 contact tracers. briefings. This is our 8th hearing on
Several reports have suggested that the the importance of ensuring that our
coronavirus and U.S. preparedness.
federal government should appropriate funds Last week’s hearing was about steps to troops get compensated properly for
to pay for these contact tracers. The reality take this year, while our eye is on the ball, the hard work and sacrifices they
is: Congress already has. to better prepare for the next pandemic. I make. It has an across-the-board 3-per-
On April 24, Congress appropriated $11 bil- have issued a white paper outlining five rec- cent pay increase in it. They deserve it.
lion, which has been sent to states and tribes ommendations for Congress to prepare Amer- On July 4, as we celebrate 244 years of
for the expenses of testing. The legislation icans for the next pandemic, and that paper freedom, I think it is appropriate that
explicitly said that money could be used for has received more than 350 substantive com- we demonstrate our support for the
contact tracing. This is in addition to the ments that are available to every member of
nearly $755 million from the first emergency
brave men and women in uniform
the committee.
appropriations legislation signed into law At the end of this hearing, I’m going to ask whose sacrifices have ensured the lib-
March 6 that went out to states for each witness what are the 2–3 actions that erty we are celebrating.
coronavirus response and can be used by Congress could take this year to prepare for I am also pleased that there is a lot
states for contact tracing. the next pandemic, some of which undoubt- in here that is really important to the
This is also in addition to the March 27 leg- edly could help with this pandemic. people I represent in Ohio. At Wright-
islation in which Congress provided at least But this hearing is about what happens Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio,
$1.5 billion in the CARES Act for states, ter- now as administrators prepare to reopen which is our State’s largest single-site
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
ritories, and tribes to use for COVID pre- schools and colleges. employer, the bill authorizes $23.5 mil-
paredness and response, some of which can Experts underestimated this virus and
be used for contact tracing. The CARES Act there is still much we don’t know about it.
lion for important work on a new hy-
also included $150 billion to states, but a sig- But we do know the basic steps to take to re- drant fuel system for the Defense Lo-
nificant amount of that $150 billion has not open schools and colleges in 2020 before there gistics Agency. It will make a big dif-
been spent because it is restricted to ex- is a vaccine and those are: social distance, ference to our airmen and Air Force ci-
penses related to COVID–19. wear a mask, wash your hands, test, contact vilians and to the troops around the
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