Hopkinton, NH – On Tuesday, Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02) participated in a virtual Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the Trump Administration's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. During the hearing titled, “Oversight of the Trump Administration's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Kuster and her committee colleagues heard from Dr. Anthony Fauci, M.D., Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases; ADM Brett P. Giroir, M.D., Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; and Dr. Robert Redfield, M.D., Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“In order to fully reopen our economy and put the COVID-19 pandemic behind us, the majority of Americans will need to be vaccinated for COVID-19. This will require swift action and a clear strategy to prepare health care providers to administer vaccines, address potential concerns the public may have, and ensure equal access to a future vaccine,” said Kuster. “The lessons learned from the turbulent rollout of COVID-19 testing should guide efforts to ensure every American has access to a vaccine once one is available. In addition to efforts related to the research, development, and manufacturing of a COVID-19 vaccine, we must ensure a vaccine is widely adopted. This Administration has yet to release a comprehensive vaccine plan to address these concerns, though they assured our Committee that a plan is in development. I look forward to the release of this plan to ensure that every American has access to a COVID-19 vaccine when one is available.”

Earlier this month, Rep. Kuster introduced H.R. 7104, the Coronavirus Vaccine Development Act, to require the Trump Administration to create a manufacturing and distribution plan to mass-produce and administer a COVID-19 vaccine quickly and efficiently. In May, she and her Energy and Commerce Committee colleagues penned a bipartisan letter calling on the Administration to create a national COVID-19 vaccine plan.

Watch Rep. Kuster’s line of questioning here. The full hearing can be viewed here.

###