Order first welcoming our witnessdi director of the cdc we thank you for being here this morning to discuss the cdc and the ongoing response to cover 19. Also want to welcome the subcommittee members congressman thomas cole and the full Committee Chair. And the subcommittee members who are here in person as those who are participating by secure video teleconference. With my Opening Statement and this is the first labor hhs education appropriations subcommitteeapri hearing i would like to begin by offering a brief explanation of how that will work in order to benefit both members and the public. This hearing room has been configured to maintain the recommended sixfoot social between witnesses and members and other individuals in the room necessary to operate a hearing. Some have opted use video teleconferencing which allows them to participateat remotely. On those with videoconference once you start speaking there will be a slight delay before you are displayed on the main screen. Speaking intova the microphone activates the camera. Do not stop your remarks if you do not immediately see the screen switchover. But does not change over after several seconds please make sure youre not muted. To minimize background noise to ensure the correct speaker is displayed we asked those that remain on video remain on mute until it is your turn to ask questions. Please remember to mute yourself at the conclusion of your questions should you seek additional time please unmute yourself so i may recognize you. Want to ask all witnesses and members the fiveminute clock still applies we will move and tall the issue is resolved and you will retain the balance of your time. Rsing the menu option you will notice a clock on the bottom of your screen that will show how much time isth remaining at one minute remaining the clock will turn to yellow and that 30 seconds remaining i will tap the gavel to remind members the time is almost expired when it is expired your time will turn red and i will recognize the next member in terms of speaking order we will follow traditional order beginning with Opening Statements from the chair and Ranking Member and the full Committee Chair and Ranking Member. We will then hear from our witness doctor redfield and proceed to questions members present at the time of the hearing the hearing is called to order it will be recognized in order of seniority and those every time it is called to order. Now i would like to move to my Opening Statement. Before i make opening remarks i went to request this afternoon there is a Memorial Service for george floyd. For the last two months around this pandemic we have been talking about how to get back to normal. However, what we can hear in the chance fors justice and the cries for inequality that going back is not good enough this tectonic moment is deep inequality and racial wrong. And that as we fight the covid19 virus before us now we must also fight the virus of injustice. Welcome to the labor Health Appropriations subcommittee. This is our second hearing to oversee the federal response to the coronavirus and it is bipartisan let me command my colleagues on both sides including the Ranking Member congressman tom cole and with usth this morning doctor Robert Redfield director of the cdc and prevention thank you for joining us today. Our nation is in turmoil. The coronavirus is the biggest Public Health crisis we have experienced in at least a century. To be blunt, the federal response is inconsistent and incoherent. And to have a better understandings of what has gone right and what has gone wrong we need to learn from mistakes and not repeat them we cannot stop the risk from this virus overnight but in the months to come we can spare the American People from unnecessary misery illness and death. And a typical Public Health emergency and historically the response would be led by the cdc our nations foremost public, Health Agency based on science and Public Health expertise that this administration has sidelined the cdc in our response to the pandemic and has chosen political expediency over Public Health. And as a result the us has had the worst response to coronavirus of any country in the world and it is particularly egregious because the Public Health should have been better prepared than any other in the world. Over the last three years on a bipartisan basis it has increased annual funding for the cdc by approximately one one. 1 billion an increase of 17 percent in 2017. That included the first year of the Public HealthModernization Initiative that would transform how the cdc collects, uses and analyzes Public Health data. We also created an Infectious DiseaseRapid Reserve fund to enable thee cdc to respond to outbreaks quickly and protect Public Health. Ranking member call and i have worked closely together understanding the challenges to create that reserve fund and its critical to funding early response activities at the outset of this pandemic. Since march congress has provided seven. 5 billion of emergency supplemental funding directly to the cdc and id might add in bipartisan fashion instead of expertise stising into be sidelined for political interest that projections are Going Forward that would die each month another 100,000 dead over the summer months yesterday the New York Times released powerful and well researchedd expose of the consequences the piece open with a quote long considered the premier Public Health agencies the cdc has fallen short in its response to the most urgent Public Health emergency in the 74 year history. From the moment it reach our shores the administrations response has been mostly inadequate there is never any coordinated plan to address the pandemic and under the dangerous lack of leadership with covid19 and the most of any country i the world when it comes to Crucial Detail to set goals for how much of the population should be tested and then facilitate contract Contact Tracing to ensure communities that has been hit the hardest with the support that theyat need there is no National Coordinating strategy. Our federal response cannot be defended from a Public Health perspective other nations around the world from germany to south korea have found ways to keep people in their countryop safe it appears as if the United States is just admitting defeat. Is that acceptable or simply accepting the preventablece death of hundreds of thousands of americans with covid19 if they are asking us to accept that then in my view the answer is a decisive no. For us to keep our people safe the response needs to be led by the Public Health experts at cdc based on reliable Public Health principles not political appointees in the white house is our expectation the Public Health expertise must be at the forefront of our national response. We need answers to questions why has administration accepted the worlds worst outcome and preventable deaths that would have been unconscionable a few months ago . How will the country reopen if not a coordinated nationwide effort for Contact Tracing and isolating cases and with the cdc guidelines for reopening business and a social activity why are the guidelines not at the forefront . Why the cdc guidelines on reopening come after state started to reopen or were already reopened products we are asking the cdc to be the way and uphold its mission and as a nation top Protection Agency it saves lives and protects people from Health Threats to accomplish the mission the cdc conducts critical signs of Health Information to protect our nation against Dangerous Health risks and responds when these arrive and it is the right to mission. So let me say affirmatively that this Committee Supports the scientist and the Public Health officials at the cdc like those who are trying to provide science based guidance to the country. What went wrong . Why has the cdc been left behind . With the early declaration of a Public Health emergency by hhs on january 31st to say its not a question of this will happen but when and further said disruption to everyday life might be severe but people might want to think about that s now cdc produced high quality indepth publication take note the morbidity and mortality weekly reports and the experts have published evidence of universal testing to interrupt transmission of covid19 as well as critically important19 a work of super spreading events which are responsible for transmitting the majority of cases of covid19 they identify the cause the exposure a choir practice for 61 people led to 32 confirmed and probable cases and attendees at a church in arkansas poultry and processing facilities we cannot have the cdc that has that technical guidance we cannot have a cdc that has edited not scientifically driven or redrafted to sue political purposes we cannot have the cdc with Data Collection and reporting we cannot have the cdc feeling that transparency we need federal laterad leadership guided with Public Health by the expertise realtime rigorous and transparent. We need cdc and scientist and Public Health experts leading the way for all and i am angry the experience and commitments can be pushed aside for a political agenda that much change and congress has to change it and we have to redirect the current course to set us on the path forward i look forward to this importantsa conversation and appreciate your being here and all of my colleagues and i like to recognize congressman tom call for any opening remarks he would like too make. Thank you for holding this hearing and you are to be commended for it i went to associate my remarks without the tragic death of mr. Floyd and the Health Care Disparities at this pandemic as shown in bright light on this committee has worked on for many years and concern for everybody here. That will be a major task Going Forward as it has been in the past with a higher sense of urgency. Good morning want to thank you again for testifying. First i would like to thank you for publicic service the director of the cdc is no easy job leading your agency through a once in a century evente poses a challenge you lead that with a steady hand and want to thank you personally for your leadership i will depart from my remarks because sometimes in the middle of something its hard to keep it in context but those that have not been the worst in the world measuring performance but quite frankly im looking literally at todays little one dash latest statistic with fatalities per million on the population in the performance of the United Kingdom the performance of italy and france and spain and belgium and never the unknown netherlands they are all advanced countries with sophisticated Healthcare Systems you cant take the chinese numbers at face value quite frankly and beyond thatwo and i say this is no criticism of the countries involved but i do worry about of india and pakistan in that part of the world and sub Sahara Africa when this is all done bring about the friends in latin america we will see the numbers probably be worse than they are in the United States because we have a more sophisticated Healthcare Systemph i have no problem being critical or putting a flashlight on anything but in america we always think we are the best or the worst at everything that is case we may not be the best but i think we are better than most the numbers dont bear that out i hope we can focus on future stepsst together after more than two months of staying inside the American People need the guidance of the cdc more than ever to help navigate the path momoahead to reignite the econoc engines should be approached with caution with the uniqueou circumstances that has caused unprecedented disruptions and it will continue to do so for some time and the devastating impact to hardworking americans create challenges that will take months and years toic address. However i am encouraged to see those economies cautiously beginning to reopen i also welcome the renewed focus for usbased capacity and resilient supply chain. Look forward to working with my colleagues across the aisle to address these challenges i also want to acknowledge the robust response in a deeply partisan plan of the City Congress and the Trump AdministrationWork Together across party lines to deliver Critical Resources like the highly successful Paycheck Protection Program to set aside our differences to quickly deliver legislative action to address the pandemic the consensus is clear that congress is capable as ever for Decisive Action covid19 is far from over i hope the spirited bipartisan cooperation canor continue as we assess our past efforts to determine what more may be made on needed while providing shortterm relief for individuals and householdssp and communities stay afloat during this period of extreme social distancing, our economy needs to get moving again and americans need to get back toso work if theres any such efforts to keep the health and safety americans at the top of mind this will be a delicate balancing act until there are treatments and Effective Therapeutics and vaccine to control covid19 the risk and the danger remains i see progress in any of those areas so turning to her regular functions and operations completed in phases with the task force established phasedin in database it for states on reopening efforts the administration recognized now is not the time for a onesizefitsall model for each date that each governor to make as appropriate for the circumstances of their communities based on the needs and supply and local capacity the administration is fortifying the supply chain for testing supplies to ensure each state has access for reopening often shipping to each date finally its critically important the federal government learns from thisne crisis and actively prepares to face down another pandemic in the future congress has generally invested in those resources to strengthen the readiness in recent years it must be an even higher priority in the days ahead the United States was prepared to face an emergency you can never be fully prepared for what you dont know isr y coming in the future we must not just prepare for the emergency at hand believe the nation better for the emergencies ahead sustained and protectable robust funding for usbased capacity are vital components to this approach and something in bipartisan fashion over several years i want to thank the chair for holding this important hearing and i yield back the balance of my time. I just want to take a moment for traveling the farthest once again is our congresswoman. Thank you so much i would like to recognize the Opening Statement the chair of the appropriation committee. Thank you i am assuming this is working you can all hear my voice. We can. Loud and clear. I do want to thank you with my friend and Ranking Member for bringing us together it is a pleasure to join you remotely and welcome back before the subcommittee and with the greatest Public Health crisis of the past Century America has never needed more than we do right now and thats why i am so troubled the president has pushed away the science when it did not suit him time and time again the president pushed aside medical experts including the cdc on respiratory diseases because of the legitimate warning on the president encourage the use ofoc hydroxychloroquine even though studies have shown that coronavirus patients were more likely to die he even suggested have disinfectants like lysol and clorox causing manufacturers to warn of the danger with Poison Control Centers throughout the country. This is not normal my friends. This is dangerous. We have lost more than 100,000 souls. Done more than in my home state of New York New York has been a leader in testing to contain covid19 those that do not recognize state boundaries to succeed against the coronavirus federal Public Health officials must take charge to combat this information to get