[indistinct conversations] today, the committee is holding a hearing entitled oversight of the Trump Administrations response to the covid19 endemic pandemic. Due to the Public Health emergency, members can participate in todays hearing either in person or remotely via video, and. Theart of this hearing, microphones will be set on mute, for the purpose of eliminating inadvertent background noise. Remotelyarticipating will need to unmute your microphone speak. Participating in person, please wear your mask when not speaking. Dr. Monahan extract expressed in the updated guidelines that the use of face coverings is meant to protect other people in case the wearer is unknowingly infected. When we are not speaking, each of us is playing a vital role in tech and all members and staff in attendance, as well as leaders of the covid19 response will be testifying before the committee. Due to the anticipated length of the hearing, we will take a 15 minute recess at 1 30 to provide witnesses a restroom break. And so the documents can be sent to benjamin taylor, all documents will be entered into the record at the conclusion of the hearing. I now recognize myself for five minutes for an Opening Statement. Today, the energy and Commerce Committee continues its important work overseeing the administrations response to the covid19 pandemic. Focal to overstate the devastating impact of the disease. More than 2. 2 million americans have contracted covid19 in more than 120,000 have died. At the same time more than 45 million americans have filed for unemployment over the last three months. Covid19 has wreaked havoc on the physical, mental, and economic wellbeing, and especially has been brutal to people of color and low income communities. Thousands of families can tell stories of losing a relative without being allowed to visit them in their final days, and the social isolation felt by seniors and others in longterm care facilities area millions could tell us about the enforced to close a Small Business or losing a job. On top of the devastation of this disease, this committee must admit that it had it not aen for a sluggish response, president who has put Political Considerations over Public Health, could have done much to mitigate the destructive impact of covid19. We must correct mistakes so we are prepared to contact combat this disease as more flareups happen over the summer and a potential second wave come this in the fall. Testing has been a problem, while it has improved we are falling short of the 9000 daily tests Public Health experts need believe we need. Also we are hampered by the lack of a federal Contact Tracing strategy. I think we need federal Public Health experts to take a leadership role in this administration is ailing to allow that. Public health must be our first consideration as we accelerate research into a vaccine and treatments. Public Health Experts must there that it is safe, must be in effect just prepare the supply chain with sufficient products necessary to administer a vaccine. We also need a supply of ppe for our Frontline Workers and others through the economy. And while the supply has improved, governors have told us that we are still far from where we need to be. Last month, the house passed a heroes act, which provides the Public Health agencies with a mandate to prepare going over, the development of a Contact Tracing plan to provide 75 billion to carry it out. Provisions for the National Stock ill, and the manufacturing of vaccine entry. And ensuring that all americans will be able to receive the government of treatment drugs and vaccines area this legislation is needed, the senate has failed to act, and the Trump Administration has not put forward a policy vision. Bere is difficult work to done to prevent further destruction. This weekend, outbreaks of flared up and Public Health leaders have urged social distancing, the president put americans at risk, in my opinion, by holding a political rally in oklahoma, suggesting staff to slow down testing to mask the true infection rate. The president said this morning he was not kidding. I believe this was reckless and it continues the pattern of of publiche advice Health Experts and sends a horrible message to some americans that they can also ignore Public Health experts. As the disease continues to harm the country, its dangerous that the president , Vice President , and others, continue to downplay the risk that we face. All around the country, the warning bells are going off, and the struggle to keep up with the rate of hospitalization as well as emerging covid hotspots and the administrations unwillingness to face these hard truths will lead to more death and needless suffering. I am pleased that we have the Public Health officials with us. Thank you for coming. I have admired your role in what you have done over the last few months. I think you can help us answer questions about what has gone and howhats improving, we can be prepared Going Forward. I look forward to your testimony. I recognize our Ranking Members for an Opening Statement. Before we begin i have a parliamentary inquiry. Mr. Chairman, the committee will chairmanll Committee Shall be limited to five minutes and may designate other members to give an Opening Statement of not more than five minute, pursuant to this rule, i would like dr. Burgess to give an Opening Statement. I raise this because i know in the past at times only the chairman and ranking number have given Opening Statements. At other times we have allow the minority, and you have as well, to designate another member for five minutes. Given the importance of this hearing, i would hope we could work this out, where the subCommittee Chairman and rancors and rankers could also common. I would wonder if you would be willing to allow that . I appreciate your comments mr. Walden, but the answer is no. First let me remind members that pursuant to committee rules, all written Opening Statements will be made a part of the record. But according to our rules, only the full Committee Chair and Ranking Member must be provided five minutes for an Opening Statement. We dont have too many of these because in the tradition of the energy and Commerce Committee we try to do the hearings at the subcommittee level. But the problem with doing that today is that i thought this was important enough for a full committee hearing. And these witnesses will be testifying on areas that cross the boundaries of subcommittees. If we let the Health SubcommitteeRanking Members, we would have to let the Ranking Members of all the subcommittees , including owen i and that will oni, and that will drag things on. I have decided that we will have the full committee members. I dont want to go into a but can give you the record about how when we were when you were chair we had limited it to the two full committee members. I know you are not saying that we have to do it, you are asking that we do. Given the fact that i would have to open it to all of the subCommittee Chairs and we would be here another hour, i would rather proceed with the two of us. Walden i know in the past we would be willing to divide that simple five minutes among both mr. Guthrie and mr. Burgess dr. Burgess. I would suggest that you could do the same and limited to 10 minutes. Rep. Pallone you want to use your time . Rep. Walden i would yield it to allow the rules for the additional five minutes. No, you see my point. If you have the subCommittee Chairs, and nobodys prepared to do that at this point. Lets leave it the way it is and you use your five. Chairman, parliamentary inquiry. Do yourt of rule nine d think does not give the ranking the ranking minority member the opportunity to delegate another member to give an Opening Statement of more than five minutes area when i read this language its pretty clear, its not the decision of the chair, it is in fact built into the rules that that is the decision of the Ranking Member, if he chooses to do so. Up clearly,l opens and i did not bring my copy down, but the rules are designed to protect the rights of the minority because the majority can do whatever it wants whenever it wants. And the rules that we adopted at the beginning of this congressional session reiterated the fact that the minority Ranking Member not only gets his five minutes or her fiveminute, but that they may designate another to give an Opening Statement of not more than five minutes. So while we have waived that in the past, i dont see anything here that gives that decision to the chair. And i know you do the best you can mr. Chairman, i am not criticizing personally, what the rules are pretty clear that the ranking minority member gets to designate someone. Rep. Pallone according to the rules only the full Committee Chair and ranking number must be provided the five minutes for an opening date meant Opening Statement. Anything else is discretionary with the chair. This interpretation is not unique to my term as chairman, and as the first full committee during the Ranking Member chairman of the full mitty on october 25, 2017 full chairman on 2017, waldman announced that at the conclusion of my Opening Statement we now go to our witnesses, only the chairman and the Ranking Member give Opening Statements and now we go to our witnesses. Congress we continue to the same practice of providing the same Committee Chair with five minutes each at full committee hearings, and titled lift 22 america and monetizing the structure of the future, and july 25 entitled member day, only the full Committee Chair and ranking Ranking Member were provided time. Im continuing the same practice that existed under mr. Waldens chairmanship and mine and is clearly discretionary. The reason i am exercising discretion beyond the five minutes is because of the time limits. I guess now we are wasting time, but i dont want to tell you what to do. But i am going to insist on that. Hearld rather proceed and from everybody. You are recognize mr. Walden. Rep. Walden chairman, i am frustrated by that, i remember back to 2011 and 2013 there were rules worked out and did have others participate but i will move on to my Opening Statement at this point. I want to thank our distinguished panel of witnesses who are still working around the clock to understand this ed lee virus and develop the Public Health standards. As well as a treatment to end it. Covid19 laid bare how vulnerable we are and how much more we need to do. I commend the work of my colleagues and citizen brooks to modernize the pandemic hazard preparedness act. And the 21st century jurors legislation that is even with all of that work, covid19 hit the world like a tsunami, quick, deadly, leading disruption. Speakers are the cocaptains of americas rescue plane that we are building while we fly. Congress has supported those efforts with funding, resources, and lets ability President Trump stop flights from china and then europe, typing in the border and designated a task force that required executive includingrarely used the stafford act and the defense production act, harnessing American Innovation through project Like Operation warp speed. Through this response, the administration had to operate with conflicting data. Even with cdc guidance in hand, some governors chose to ignore that guidance and forced nursing home patients back to Nursing Homes, committing the deadliest mistake of the pandemic. Meanwhile backward looking critics attacked you and the men and women who work alongside of each of you, i commend our Witnesses Today for keeping focused on the challenges at hand and for doing Everything Possible for beating this virus. Six months ago we had barely heard of this virus area during our briefings most thought that like sars and mers we would get past this beast which did not have a name back then. We quickly went from knowing little about this virus to dating a test for it and testing more than 25 million samples with recent averages of more than 500,000 test the day. We know that there is more to be done. We have a distinguished admiral who became a selfproclaimed swap guy, because thats what america swab guy, because thats what america needed. There are two manufacturers, one in maine and one in italy. The president ordered puritan to make the swabs we needed. And then funding from congress dramatically increase production. And the president launched project air bridge to fly planes to italy to search the globe for other supplies which we found in limited plies. Helped state department 101,386 americans get abroad. From abroad get back home. Often on chartered with commercial transportation set shut down. And when coupled with the flu season i asked my team to research every aspect of this Health Crisis and to improve our mayor preparedness Going Forward. Mitigating a second wave is critical given the impact this has had on Public Health and livelihoods. We released the first recommendations on testing and surveillance weeks ago, and are preparing to release recommendations on therapeutics and vaccines soon. Less than a month in the United States, the u. S. Has conducted millions of tests, manufactured medical equipment, use 3d printers to make ppe, developed multiple vaccine candidates, authorized the use of more than 100 medical devices, weighing the known and potential benefits at the time, all at unprecedented speed. These innovations have the ability to service well and beyond this pandemic. We have seen remarkable ,rdination coordination flexibility, and cooperation. America is strongest when we Work Together to achieve common goals. We are constantly learning how to improve our preparedness. We must adjust our response based off of the facts at hand area we must unite in a common fight against this virus. Just as america mobilized in world war ii to do whatever it took, today we have to mobilize americas finest scientists, lodge attentions logisticians and entrepreneurs to beat this enemy. Thank you for your dedication to this lifesaving mission. Stir chairman, i yield back the balance of my time. Rep. Pallone thank you. I thank the Ranking Member. I would like to introduce our witnesses. House calling the white task force on coronavirus, but i dont know if that is still in existence or whether you are all members anymore. First we have dr. Robert redfield, the director of the centers for Disease Control and prevention. , the doctor ofci allergies and Infectious Diseases at the institute of health. We have admiral brett giroir, the assistant secretary of health and human services, and he is tired of hearing from me because i call him all the time. And dr. Stephen hahn, the commission of the u. S. Food and drug administration. Thank you for being here today. At this time, the chair will recognize each witness for five minutes to provide their Opening Statement. Before we begin i would like to explain the lighting system in front of you. Itres a series of lights, will be green at the start of your statement and it will turn yellow when you have one minute remaining, and you should try to wrap up your testimony at that point. It will turn red when youre latex tires. You likely know this but i will mention it again. We will start with dr. Redfield. Dr. Redfield good morning chairman, and distinguished members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify before you with my colleagues. Today the covid19 pandemic continues in the United States and around the world. This is the greatest Public Health crisis our nation and world have confronted in a century. The overall case counts are going down, several communities are seeing increased cases driven by multiple factors. Including increased testing, outbreaks, and evidence of community transmission. Right now the most powerful ispon against the disease social distancing, face coverings, a