Sens. Menendez, Collins seek to create COVID-19 Commission

Sens. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced Wednesday legislation designed to create a COVID-19 Commission to assess the nation’s preparedness and response to the pandemic while providing guidance regarding future occurrences.

The measure would establish an independent, non-partisan commission modeled after the 9/11 Commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Companion legislation will be introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Reps. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) and Marlo Diaz-Balart (R-FL).

“COVID-19 has already devastated millions of American lives, pushed our health systems to the brink, decimated our economy and changed the very essence of what we call normal,” Menendez, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a senior member of both the Senate Banking and Finance Committees, said. “We need to understand what we did right, what we did wrong and what we can do better to strengthen our public health systems and supply chains, protect communities and vulnerable populations, improve coordination across all levels of government and the private sector, and advance scientific research so our nation is more prepared and able to respond to future public health threats.”

Collins said the nation must ensure better preparedness for future epidemics and pandemics.

“The legislation Sen. Menendez and I have introduced would establish a similar bipartisan commission that would assess our country’s successes as well as areas in need of improvement in responding to COVID-19,” she said. “It would also examine ways we can strengthen our public health systems and protect our communities.”