WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bio-attack could happen at anytime according to Indiana Congresswoman Susan Brooks (R).
Her bill called “the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2018” or PAHPA, would re-authorize federal funding to be used for quick response efforts should a new pandemic arise or if the nation suffers a biological attack from a foreign or domestic adversary.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted to report Brooks’ bill, co-authored with California Democrat Anna Eshoo, to the House floor this week.
“This bipartisan public health and national security effort will ensure our nation is better prepared to respond to natural disasters, emerging infectious diseases, and chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attacks whether from terrorist groups or from nation states,” Brooks said.
“Everyday our adversaries are looking for more effective and faster ways to produce a threat. As everyone here knows, it is not a question of if we will face a threat – a threat that is constantly changing – it is a question of when.”
Brooks says the re-authorization ensures that the federal government can quickly respond to such events immediately without having to wait on approval from Congress.
(PHOTO: Courtesy of Rep. Susan Brooks)
