WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released the following statement on the committee’s coronavirus oversight and plans for future oversight.
“Everyone wishes our country had been better prepared to combat the tragedy of the current pandemic. That is why our committee has been conducting methodical oversight of our government’s preparation and response to understand what happened and what changes should be made to ensure we are better prepared in the future. Although much of our work to date has been behind the scenes by staff gathering information, facilitating briefings with administration officials, and supporting other oversight efforts, we have also held three public hearings or roundtables on these issues. Our work will continue in the coming weeks as we hold four additional hearings.”
A record of the committee’s coronavirus oversight and plans for future oversight are listed below:
- February 12 roundtable: Are We Prepared? Protecting the U.S. from Global Pandemics
- March 5 hearing: The Federal Interagency Response to the Coronavirus and Preparing for Future Global Pandemics
- Following passage of the CARES Act, Chairman Johnson directed staff to begin rigorous oversight on 5 key areas:
- the readiness of our strategic national stockpile;
- vulnerabilities in our vital supply chain;
- the use and accuracy of scientific models used for prediction and driving our response to COVID-19;
- the origins of COVID-19; and
- the role the World Health Organization played.
- May 6 hearing: COVID-19: How New Information Should Drive Policy
Upcoming coronavirus-related oversight:
- June 9 hearing: Evaluating the Federal Government’s Procurement and Distribution Strategies in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
- June 16 hearing: CBP Oversight: Examining the Evolving Challenges Facing the Agency
- TBD date: Examining the United States medical supply chain, including vulnerabilities, strengths, and opportunities for improvement
- TBD date: Examining the role of the Strategic National Stockpile in pandemic response and opportunities for improvement.
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