WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins co-authored an opinion in the New York Times with Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, calling for an independent commission to study the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic—and vulnerabilities the pandemic exposed.
The piece, titled “There Will Be Another Pandemic—Are We Prepared For It?” was published in the Times on Monday, June 14. It comes after Collins and Menendez introduced legislation to create the “National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021,” which they say has been endorsed by high-ranking officials and experts from both Republican and Democratic administrations.
Collins and Menendez say there should be a 9/11-style independent commission "to investigate the vulnerabilities of our public health system and issue guidance for how we as a nation can better protect the American people from future pandemics."
"We should do everything in our power to prevent our country and our communities, small businesses and families from enduring a similar ordeal again, because it’s not a matter of if but when another pandemic or public health emergency will strike," they wrote.
They say the bill, which has a companion bill in the House, is the "only bipartisan, bicameral legislation of its kind."
On Tuesday, the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 topped 600,000, "more than 200 times that of the 9/11 attacks," Collins and Menendez pointed out in their piece. Despite this, Congress has not established a similar commission to investigate.
"Tragically, [COVID] will claim even more lives before it’s over," they said. "The economic costs of the pandemic have yet to be fully realized, even though we have finally begun to reopen, owing to the swift pace of vaccinations and the flow of billions of dollars in stimulus money into the economy. But it isn’t too soon to call for an independent, 9/11-style commission."
The legislation proposes a 10-member commission that would have a "broad mandate and subpoena power" to investigate the country's preparedness and response, including:
- Communication with foreign governments regarding public health threats, including early warning, detection, prevention, and response
- Federal, state, and local intergovernmental coordination
- Interagency communication and information sharing
- Vaccine development and distribution
- Public health surveillance and testing
- Availability of medical equipment and supplies, including personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Preparedness and response of hospital, nursing homes, and other congregate settings
- Scientific research
- Economic relief policies
- Health and economic disparities affecting racial and ethnic minority populations and other communities that have been disproportionately harmed
- State, local, Tribal, and territorial government preparedness and response
They say the commission will craft policy recommendations that will seek to improve government and private sector abilities to respond and prepare for future public health emergencies.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who served under former President Barack Obama, said he supports the bill.
"The nation on Earth with the mightiest public health care capability had the worst public health care response to COVID-19. It didn’t have to be this way. We could have done much better," he said in a statement. "Now we owe it to the nation to learn from our mistakes."
In the opinion piece, Collins and Menendez call on their colleagues in Congress to support the commission.
"This is not about pointing fingers but learning from our shared experiences and committing to do better by our fellow Americans," they said. "We must meet the urgency of this moment, examine the U.S. response to Covid-19 and learn from our mistakes. After burying more than 600,000 of our loved ones, it is the very least we can do."
