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 In a departure from partisan divisions over the novel coronavirus,
Senator Jim Risch, Republican chairman of the Foreign Relations
Committee, and Democratic committee members Chris Murphy and Ben
Cardin introduced the bill, with high hopes that much of it would
eventually become law.
The measure, which was introduced last week but announced on
Thursday, would authorize $3 billion to rebuild the U.S. pandemic
defense system, invest in global vaccine developments and help
countries that need it to build up their health systems.
Senate aides said it was not intended to reflect criticism of
Republican President Donald Trump's response to the pandemic, which
has killed more than 100,000 Americans and cratered the U.S.
economy.
In a statement, Risch said he saw the "Global Health Security and
Diplomacy Act" as a first step toward a carefully coordinated
approach to global health security.
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"We don't have the luxury of waiting and rebuilding our global public health
infrastructure after this crisis is past," Murphy told Reuters in a telephone
interview.
"The next pandemic may be on top of us this winter," Murphy said.
The measure would also require Trump to develop a global health security
strategy, establish a coordinator for global health security and diplomacy at
the State Department and encourage Trump to appoint a senior director for global
health to the National Security Council.
It does not discuss the World Health Organization. Accusing WHO of being
"China-centric," Trump threatened to permanently halt funding if it does not
commit to improvements within 30 days and reconsider U.S. membership.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Tom Brown)
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