Washington, DC Update

Posted 11 January 2023

ASTMH continues to advocate before Congress and the Biden administration. Letters that ASTMH led or joined include:
  • A letter congratulating Dr. Fauci on his lifetime in public service and his retirement from government service.  

Read More:

FY23 Spending Package Signed into Law, Increases for Global Health Programs
118th Congress Officially Underway 
Doubting the Origins of the COVID Pandemic, House Republicans Establish Select Subcommittee to Further Investigate Pandemic Impacts  
Flu Preparedness Bill Expected to be Reintroduced in the 118th Congress 
CDC Director Preparing for Agency-Wide Changes 
FY23 Funding Bill Establishes White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy
State Department Establishes Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy, led by John Nkengasong
Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response Releases New Strategic Plan

FY23 Spending Package Signed into Law, Increases for Global Health Programs
On December 29, President Biden signed a $1.7 trillion spending bill into law that included boosts for global health programs across the federal government. ASTMH, along with our partners in advocacy, were pleased to see the many upticks in funding for areas where we have a strong interest. Below is a summary of the increases.

FY23 Omnibus Funding Outcomes  
*enacted funding in billions or millions/percent increase compared to FY22 omnibus bill (rounded)
 
  • NIH: : $47.5b/+5.56%
    • NIAID:  $6.6b/+3.79%
    • Fogarty International Center: $95.2m/+8.99%
 
  • CDC:  $9.2b/+8.99%
    • Center for Global Health: $692.8m/+7.11%
    •  National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID): $750.7m/+8.29%
 
  • USAID:  $4.2b/7.37%
    • PMI: $795m/+2.58%
    • Neglected Tropical Diseases Program: $114.5m/+6.51%
 
Key provisions from the PREVENT Pandemics Act were also included in the final spending bill as well as the fifth reauthorization of the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA). The PRIA reauthorization will help drive innovation of insecticides for mosquito-borne diseases.

118th Congress Officially Underway
75 freshman members of the U.S. House and seven new senators were officially sworn in to the new 118th Congress. After a historic protracted Speakership election, House Republicans finally handed Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) the gavel. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was unanimously elected by House Democrats to serve as Minority Leader. In the Senate, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) were re-elected by their caucuses to serve as Majority Leader and Minority Leader. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) was also elected President Pro Tempore of the Senate, becoming the first woman to hold the position. House Republicans are currently finalizing committee chairs and assignments. The Senate remains in recess until January 23.

Doubting the Origins of the COVID Pandemic, House Republicans Establish Select Subcommittee to Further Investigate Pandemic Impacts  
House Republicans recently passed a rules package that established the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. The subcommittee’s purpose will include investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal funding for “gain of function research,” COVID-related spending, the “development of vaccines and treatment,” and other economic and societal impacts of the virus. Prior to the end of the 117th Congress, Rep. James Comer (R-KY), who is expected to chair the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who is expected to chair the House Judiciary Committee, sent letters to senior Biden Administration officials re-requesting documents and other materials regarding the origins of the pandemic. The latest round of letters also request transcribed interviews with various agency officials. With the empaneling of the new GOP subcommittee, Comer has indicated that the Oversight Committee will immediately focus on COVID-19 “funding and fraud” and suggested that the committee will “start doing transcribed interviews early on.”

Flu Preparedness Bill Expected to be Reintroduced in the 118th Congress
Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA) has expressed that he plans to reintroduce his bill Protecting America From Seasonal and Pandemic Influenza Act (H.R.9476), which aims to strengthen U.S. flu preparedness. At the end of the 117th Congress, the bill had five Democratic co-sponsors—no Republicans had signed onto the legislation. In an interview, Larsen shared that he hopes “to garner bipartisan support to reintroduce the bill this Congress” and will begin “look[ing] for Republican co-sponsors and working with the appropriate committees to get the bill moving forward during this session.” Representative Larsen has been working with Coalition to Stop Flu on the legislation.

CDC Director Preparing for Agency-Wide Changes
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is preparing to implement new structural changes at the public health agency as part of the CDC Moving Forward initiative. Changes include requiring all employees to deploy on public health emergencies, eliminating management layers, elevating laboratory sciences, and possibly forming a coronavirus-dedicated unit at CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

FY23 Funding Bill Establishes White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy
The FY23 spending bill authorizes the creation of a brand-new White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy. The Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy will be headed by a director who is appointed by the president. The Director is responsible for providing advice, within the Executive Office of the President, on policy related to preparedness for, and response to, pandemic and other biological threats that may impact national security and supporting strategic coordination and communication with respect to relevant activities across the federal government.

State Department Establishes Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy, led by John Nkengasong
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken notified Congress that he intends to form the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy to ensure that  Department is well-organized to strengthen global health security and to address the growing national security challenges presented by global health crises. Ambassador Dr. John Nkengasong, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, will head the new bureau. The Department of State will need to work with the new Congress to operationalize the new bureau.

Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response Releases New Strategic Plan
The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) recently released its updated five-year strategic plan. Two of the strategic goals focus on preparedness (Strategic Goal 1) and partnerships (Strategic Goal 3). Among the plan’s objectives are identifying both human-made and naturally occurring health threats, accelerating the advanced development and procurement of medical countermeasures (MCMs), ensuring MCMs are accessible, establishing sustainable public-private partnership models to spur promising MCM innovation, and emphasizing equity in partnership development.
 
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