Coronavirus. The chairs authorized to have the committee and recess at any point. Good afternoon. Today the committee is meeting to examine the federal government response to the Novel Coronavirus pandemic. As a nurse i want to open by encouraging everyone to visit coronavirus. Gov. The most uptodate information from the center of Disease Control print mentioned. Keep us all safe. Wash your hands often with seven water or Hand Sanitizer dont touch her face, cover your cough, and avoid close contact with others if you are they are sick. We note that the spread of coronavirus has likely not yet reached its peak. It is affecting all of our communities. I dont think there is a person in this room was that worried about an elderly or an immune compromised relatives health, friends job, or Childs School closure. Just yesterday, the first two cases were diagnosed in the counties that i represent in illinois. Our job is members of congress is to keep americans safe. Im working with the executive branch telling a strong federal government response. Including the has led 8. 3 billion supplemental funding package that passed last week. A strong response must include each of these three elements. First, we must continue to support our local and state Public Health departments. Our Healthcare Systems, our Emergency Responders who are the frontlines of this outbreak. They start with having reliable data to make decisions. But how to prepare for a health system. And how much personal protective equipment is needed for health workers. It also means developing and disseminating clear Accurate Communications to the public. American scientists the Victim Health expertise, is unmatched throughout the world. And i must be driving our decisions. Second, we must prevent people from healthcare costs associated with coronavirus. Testing and treatment must be wildly available and no cost to patients. In the price gouging the medical essentials, and other supplies must be stopped. If we do not take a crucial step the epidemic will worsen because families will avoid seeking care for fear that they cannot afford it. In our communities will be less safe. And there we must soften the Economic Impact on this crisis of American Families and businesses. This means for every worker, and employment insurance and Food Assistance if needed. Given the committees jurisdiction, today we will also examine the department of Homeland Securitys role in the response efforts. Department plays a key role in protecting workers on the frontlines of this outbreak. Travelers in the u. S. And referring them for cleaning by healthcare worsen workers as necessary. We will questions today about the efficacy of the screening and out is that our air land and sea ports. We also want to learn more about the departments inability to support its own workers. With her has adequate personal protective equipment for frontlines for snap decisions Border Protection officers. Border patrol agents or officers. Finally we want to hear about when the department has to ensure that continuity of operations and certain facilities in case of outbreak separated course of entry, checkpoints, and immigration detention facilities. Today we are joined by Ken Cuccinelli who is currently serving as acting deputy Homeland Security. To respond to these important questions. Ken cuccinelli is the departments rep. On the task force. I hope to hear from him about the work of the task force this afternoon. Enjoyed by the doctor a medical doctor with decades of experience the centers of Disease Control and prevention my understanding is that hes due to retire this month but hes agreed to stay on to the Coronavirus Response we thank you for your dedication and service to our country and think both of our witnesses bring being with us here today. I look forward to a productive dialogue with our highlight and Witnesses Today turnout recognize the Ranking Member of the committee the gentleman from alabama for an opening statement. Thank you and i want to think that witnesses to be here. We appreciate is those who have lost loved ones and thus currently going under treatment, they require global response. The outbreaks of serious diseases in the past in each case with marshall our collective resources and ingenuity for these crises. Im confident that will be the case. Congress is more closely with Current Administration to figure out the outbreaks just like this. Last summer the president signed lot the pandemic and all hazards appearing to enhance government authorities authorize funding for Emergency Response and medical countermeasures. Since 2015, Republican Leadership we have increased funding for Infectious Disease response by 70 percent. And just this week we came together in a bipartisan fashion to provide over a billion dollars to help keep Public Officials able to respond to this crisis and development of a vaccine. I hope it will continue as we look at ways to shore up the economy. In the wake of this crisis but i am concerned about the political attacks in the administrations response. Which is the majoritys attack on the Vice President. A Bipartisan Commission on bio defense as well as the panel of Health Experts appears before the sweep agreed that the Vice President should be the one leading response. The Vice President is the only one of the direct line to the president and the authority to achieve the whole government to the outbreak response. Unlikely, named over the a bottom in ministration Vice President is in the chain of command he did lobby for the pharmaceutical and they all agreed that government is doing the best he can under the circumstances. Today we had the cdc and department of Homeland Security. Talk about their difference. Im interested in hearing how the agencies are using supplemental funding and congress provided last week and additional authorities they need to respond to this crisis. In the middle of the price like this, it is very important for political leaders to avoid claiming the fact of hysteria. Our job, should be to support the response effort to provide public accurate and timely information to keep them safe. I encourage everyone to heed the advice of our medical professionals, wash your hands, stay home and your second visit the center for Disease Control preventions website for updated information. Lauren we recognize you for an opening statement. I appreciate the advice chairwomans, handling of the meeting today. I have some talking point so i will be short. But then he, witnesses we had last week, absolutely, we have to have Effective Communication in a situation like this, people have to tell the truth. I will just say some of the things that we heard in the past. The president called the governor of the state of washington last week, a snake. Will that state, has been the most heavily hit state in this crisis. And our president just cant call another governor a snake. And then in the same sense, the Vice President turnaround studies are the best people, doing the job of listening. So i think communication and how you outline this is very important. When this issue first came up, a lot of people said it was democratic hoax. It was never hoax way of video of what people said if this should not be. So in the interest of getting and addressing this problem, taking hold of the government whole government approach him i would encourage us to deal with facts. It starts at the top. The top is calling names, people have to respond. Anything Going Forward, if we can agree that we will not call names, will address the issue in a lot of communities, concerns. From new jersey to new york to texas and oliver, everybody has made an impact. Most of us and came to washington this week, there were a lot of empty plane seats on those planes coming to washington. Because people do not feel comfortable in terms of flying. Some of the people on the planes, masks and we have been told about professionals, the masks do not address the problem. So would help madam chair, with our experts here today, we will hear the facts and without i yelled back. Other members of the committee are reminded under committee rules, the Opening Statements will be submitted to the record. And i welcome our witnesses. Mr. Ken cuccinelli is currently acting deputy Homeland Security. Task force also and previously served as acting director of u. S. Citizenship and immigrations purposes. Ken cuccinelli from 20102014 was general. And next we have doctor steven wright, implementation for science of the center of Disease Control and prevention. He was responsible for state and local readiness in the hours emergency. Without objection, the witnesses. Men will be asserted into the record and i now ask each witness to summarize the statements five minutes beginning here. Thank you. Is my honor to appear before you to here today to date testify of what we are doing to respond to the current outbreak of the coronavirus. Were very proud to work with the minimum women of dhs and the partners of the department of health and Human Services and across the government are doing. Department at the top priority, is the safety and the security of the American People. Dhs is taking action in airports, and lead ports of entry, to support hhs and slowing the spread of the Novel Coronavirus to say nothing of our maritime work. Dhs continues to work very closely with the partners cdc. Drought all admissible persons who amend Mainland China and rent the previous 14 days, one of the 11 dead designated airports of entry also in iran. At all ports of entry, that officers continue to remain alert and in a fight cdc and other Public Health officials when encountering passengers exhibiting signs of overt illness. Regardless of the travel history. They are currently supporting cdcs enhanced entry screening efforts through agreements with state and local private sectors emergency medical services. Public health, and First ResponderPersonnel Panel 11 designated airports of entry for passengers who have been in china or iran than the previous 14 days. They support the collection of passenger information for cdc to provide direct information to state and local Public Health officials to facilitate Contact Tracing efforts. In the coast guard continue the work to recognize detective assist individuals arriving through our land force and waterways. In coordination with the cdc, and u. S. Coast guard, cbp has measures already in place at all ports of entry to identify travelers so the overt signs of illness to minimize the risk to the public. U. S. Coast guard reviews all advance notice of arrivals, 96 hours in advance of the scheduled arrival of the ship in port. The coast guard captain of the porch, communicate any concerns stemming from six or six crews of the passengers to their coast guard chain of command and the quarantine station who will coordinate with it local health authorities. This process has been working smoothly across the country. Add in between the land ports of entry, the cbp is identifying persons with recent travel to china or iran in making inappropriate referrals to the cdc for the local health system. As our greatest asset and every precaution is being taken to keep her workforce tape. Especially for officers and agents on the front lines. Ensuring that these individuals remain safe and healthy is a critical immediately upon the on set of covid19 is a global concern, department proactively took action. Ken and management director has established a Workforce Command Center to ensure that protective procedures are in place for the frontline workforces may regularly encounter potential disease carriers and is working with all dhs components. To assess the readiness. See wmd continues to work with the u. S. Government agency safe Governors State and local Public Health agencies, nongovernmental organizations and the governments of mexico and canada and private Industry Partners and stakeholders on medical and Public Health coordination. An information sharing. The cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency, has been assessing the National Critical functions for potential impacts infrastructure and systems from covid19 and is working closely with private sector owners and operators to identify issues of concerns and ensure continuity of these critical assets. Fema is providing support to hhs as the lead federal agency in the areas of infinite management resource planning, and federal interagency coordination. Additionally fema remains at posturing to support hhs with consequence management to anticipate any mitigation acts actions. The American Public can be assured dhs and its component agencies are taking Decisive Action and to analyze the threat and minimize risk and to slow the spread of the virus by working closely with cdc Health Professionals and interagency partners involved in this whole of government ever. I want to think about vice chairman and Ranking Member and the members and staff of this committee for the support youve shown the department and the governments effort to respond to covid19. I look forward to your questions. Each of now recognize the doctor for his statement for five minutes. Good afternoon. Thank you for the opportunity to talk to you. Twenty to start over. Good afternoon. In the response to the novel 2019 coronavirus, or covid19. Before you begin, it is important to recognize that this is a new virus and a new disease. Science continues to accumulate. We will continue to incorporate that new science into our response decisions and response posture. There are three overriding themes that have guided our response. First, cdcs role in this interagency response is built on decades of Infectious Disease experience and planning for pandemic flu and other health emergencies. Second, our response is dependent upon the support of the network of dedicated frontline Public Health workers in our communities, state and health and local departments. And third, as we begin to see Community Spread of this virus, it will be important for all of us to take action in preventing it spread to the common sense Public Health precautions like handwashing, staying home if you are sick, and particularly for highrisk and vulnerable populations avoiding crowds, especially in poorly ventilated spaces. I encourage you to visit cdcs coronavirus website to learn more about what you can do and thank you for the second time weve been able to talk about the website and all the information that is there. From the offset, cdc and the u. S. Government partners and implemented an aggressive is a layered strategy to slow the introduction of this virus into the United States. Divide time, so that our scientists can learn how this virus behaves. To prepare our nations Public Health care systems for the possibility of a Global Pandemic which as you have heard, has been declared today. We need to educate americans how best to prepare for disruptions to our daily lives and risk to our families. The administrations interagency containment strategy has relied upon triedandtrue Public Health interventions. Early diagnosis, isolation and Contact Tracing, travel advisories, and targeted travel restrictions selective use of quarantine for individuals returning from global Transmission Hot zones, and without immunity or treatment of our nations Public Health response has relied upon detection and Contact Tracing to slow the emergence of this virus into the United States. February 25th, was an Inflection Point for the outbreak when for the first time, we saw new cases outside of china, palpation new cases within china. We have observed rapid and widespread persontoperson transmission and south korea, iran and it totally. And we had to detect in our first c