WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, United States Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Senate appropriators urging them to include funding in the fiscal year (FY) 2021 State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill for programs within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to strengthen global health security, particularly with respect to emerging zoonotic epidemic threats (diseases transmitted from animals to humans). Congress has a long record of bipartisan support for USAID and other federal agencies that strengthen America’s role in identifying and researching zoonotic diseases and implementing other initiatives to promote this aspect of global health security, including a program called PREDICT. From 2009 to 2019, PREDICT identified nearly 1,000 new viruses, including a new strand of Ebola; trained roughly 5,000 people; and improved or developed 60 research laboratories. Despite this track record, the program was scheduled to be brought to a close late last year.

“The global public health crisis caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a reminder of the need to ensure that our government agencies responsible for addressing and preventing disease outbreaks have adequate resources,” the senators wrote in their letter to Chairman Lindsey Graham and Ranking Member Patrick Leahy of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Subcommittee.

“By funding these programs, Congress strengthens public health system capacity in countries where there is a high risk of emerging or zoonotic disease,” the senators continued. “We encourage the Subcommittee to pay particular attention in its appropriations process to supporting the collection and analysis of data on unknown viruses and other pathogens, as well as a mechanism for the countries to efficiently share that pandemic threat data.”

Today’s letter continues Senator King’s push to strengthen America’s leadership in global health. In November – before the emergence of coronavirus – Senator King questioned USAID’s decision to shutter the program. Senators King and Warren followed up on this request in January, after the first coronavirus case was confirmed in the United States. Though USAID, after the Senators’ questioning, decided to extend PREDICT’s funding for six more months through September 2020, it is unclear how the agency will fund Global Health Security efforts moving forward.

Senator King has introduced legislation to permanently create a Presidentially-appointed position to manage outbreak response efforts, develop a global health security strategy, advance the goals of the 2014 Global Health Security Agenda, and authorize annual funding towards that goal. Though a relevant position has existed through executive order since 2016, that position has been vacant for nearly two years – weakening the nation’s preparedness. He is also an original cosponsor of the bipartisan Public Health Emergency Response and Accountability Act, which would create a permanent reserve fund to enable quick and effective responses to future public health emergencies

The full letter can be read below and downloaded HERE.

+++

Dear Chairman Graham and Ranking Member Leahy:

The global public health crisis caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a reminder of the need to ensure that our government agencies responsible for addressing and preventing disease outbreaks have adequate resources. Accordingly, we urge the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Subcommittee to include robust funding in the fiscal year 2021 appropriations bill for programs within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to strengthen global health security, particularly with respect to emerging zoonotic epidemic threats.

Congress has a long record of bipartisan support for USAID and other federal agencies that strengthen America’s role in identifying and researching zoonotic diseases and implementing other initiatives to promote this aspect of global health security. For example, when funded, USAID’s PREDICT Program strengthened the international community’s capability to detect and discover zoonotic viruses with pandemic potential, trained epidemiologists and other health officials, facilitated international data sharing, and conducted zoonotic diseases research.

As the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus challenges public health systems and threatens lives and livelihoods around the world, it is more essential than ever that the research and other missions performed by USAID Emerging Pandemic Threats programs continue unabated to prevent, mitigate, and reduce the spread of future zoonotic viruses. By funding these programs, Congress strengthens public health system capacity in countries where there is a high risk of emerging or zoonotic disease. Therefore, we encourage the Subcommittee to pay particular attention in its appropriations process to supporting the collection and analysis of data on unknown viruses and other pathogens, as well as a mechanism for the countries to efficiently share that pandemic threat data. We look forward to working with the Subcommittee to secure this funding in order to ensure America’s strong investment in global health security that improves the lives of Americans and communities worldwide.