- November 16, 2021
ICYMI: GOP, Dem senators push for 9/11-style COVID-19 commission
(Washington, D.C., November 16, 2021) – U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, M.D., Joni Ernst (R-IA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) recently introduced bipartisan legislation to create a 9/11-style commission to investigate COVID-19 origins and identify lessons learned regarding U.S. preparedness, response, and recovery to improve our ability to respond to future outbreaks. Additionally, the Senators have introduced their bill as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
In case you missed it, here is what they are saying about Senators Marshall, Ernst, Feinstein, and Gillibrand’s legislation:
No family, city or nation has been untouched by the coronavirus pandemic. A pressing and unmet need remains to understand why it happened, what worked in response and what didn’t, and how to prevent the next one. Four senators, two Democrats and two Republicans, have proposed legislation to create a 9/11-commission-style national panel that would examine the pandemic and help prepare for the future. This bill ought to be approved by Congress… The new legislation is sponsored by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). It hopefully will pick up more support soon…
Great Bend Tribune: Legislation by five Senators creates 9/11-style COVID-19 Commission
U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) recently introduced legislation to create a 9/11-style commission to investigate the COVID-19 outbreak and identify lessons learned regarding U.S. preparedness, response and recovery to improve our ability to respond to future outbreaks.
FOX News: GOP, Dem senators push for 9/11-style COVID-19 commission It’s been almost two years since COVID-19 upended lives worldwide and left 700,000 Americans dead, but still there is no definitive answer on how, where or why the pandemic started. Now a group of bipartisan senators is calling for a full 9/11-style commission to investigate the origins of the global health crisis, amid mounting evidence that the virus leaked from a Wuhan, China, lab — an idea that for a long time was characterized as “a conspiracy theory” but is now being recognized as a very real possibility. Led by Republican Sens. Roger Marshall of Kansas and Joni Ernst of Iowa and Democratic Sens. Diane Feinstein of California and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, this new commission would also examine not only the U.S. pandemic response and aim to ensure it never happens again, but it would also allow sanctions to be placed on laboratories that won’t cooperate and even against China. Speaking to Fox News Marshall said, “This is like a nuclear bomb that went off but killed 10 times more people than any nuclear warhead did. We need to find out where this came from.”
FOX News: Sen. Marshall Discusses 9/11-Style COVID Commission with Steve Hilton
…That accountability came a step closer this week as a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation to create a 9/11-style commission into the origin and handling of the pandemic… “We thought that to have success at any type of a commission or a hearing we needed bipartisan support. This commission needs to be a 9/11 style commission that’s really nonpolitical. So we needed partners across the aisle – Senator Feinstein and Gillibrand have joined in this search and of course Senator Ernst on our side of the aisle has been a great leader in this as well. So we need to look at the origins of COVID and the response as well. We hope we can get this as an amendment on the NDAA, the National Defense Authorization Act…”
FOX News: Sen. Ernst Discusses Bipartisan Effort to Unearth Origins of COVID-19
“The Communist Chinese do not want you to know the origins of COVID-19 because, certainly, it might lead to the discovery of nefarious activities by the Chinese. We’ve been at this for more than a year now, but it is wonderful to have a bipartisan group of senators sponsoring this bill. We’ve got Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Dianne Feinstein of California, and Roger Marshall of Kansas and I all working together on this bill. It would be a 9/11-style commission to discover the origins of COVID-19. It is imperative that we find out how this started, and what we can do in the future to prevent it,” said Senator Ernst.
Newsmax: Bipartisan Group Calls for 9/11-Style Panel to Probe COVID Origin A bipartisan group of senators Tuesday called for a “9/11-style commission” to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic began, the U.S. government’s response, and ways to prevent a similar tragedy. In a statement, Sen. Roger Marshall, the Kansas Republican leading the group, said a panel is “long overdue.” “As a physician, I think we always need to know the what, where, how, and why when giving a diagnosis,” he stated. “For this reason, it couldn’t be more important that we determine the origins of this infectious disease outbreak in order to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.” Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Democrat Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York co-sponsored legislation to create the commission… The bill is modeled on the so-called “9/11 Commission” formed in 2002 to examine the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the nation and how to prevent them in the future.
CBS Topeka: Bipartisan bill to create 9/11-style COVID-19 Commission introduced by Sen. Marshall
A bipartisan bill to create a 9/11-style COVID-19 Commission has been introduced by Senator Roger Marshall, which would help uncover the origins of the pandemic. U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) says he joined Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Cali.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) to introduce legislation to create a 9/11-style commission to investigate the COVID-19 outbreak and find lessons learned about U.S. preparedness, response and recovery to improve the nation’s ability to respond to future outbreaks. “Americans are long overdue for a bipartisan commission investigating the origins of COVID-19, as well as finding out how we can prepare for, prevent, and recover from future global pandemics. As a physician, I think we always need to know the what, where, how, and why when giving a diagnosis. For this reason, it couldn’t be more important that we determine the origins of this infectious disease outbreak in order to ensure nothing like this ever happens again,” said Sen. Marshall.
Washington Times: Bipartisan Senate group backs ‘9/11-style’ commission on COVID-19 response
A bipartisan group of senators said Tuesday they are seeking a “9/11-style commission” to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic began, the U.S. government’s response and ways to prevent a similar tragedy. Sen. Roger Marshall, Kansas Republican, said a bipartisan commission is “long overdue” as the nation grapples with a virus that’s killed over 750,000 people in the U.S. and millions more around the world… The bill is modeled on the so-called “9/11 Commission” that was set up in 2002 to fully examine the 2001 terror attacks on the homeland and look at ways to prevent future attacks. The COVID commission would look at the government’s overall response to the pandemic, including its ability to procure supplies and develop tests, treatments and vaccines. It will look at whether public-health messages were effective and resonated with all communities, including the risk of stigma after Asian communities said coarse descriptions of the virus’s origins in China led to discrimination and harassment. The commission will examine U.S. cooperation with countries abroad, because it was a global pandemic, and whether the nation’s health care system is adequately prepared for major public health crises.
Background:
The bill is also endorsed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Full text of the legislation is available HERE.
The National Commission on the COVID–19 Pandemic would conduct an investigation on the COVID-19 outbreak and identify lessons learned regarding preparedness, response and recovery. The structure and authorities of the Commission are modeled on the 9/11 Commission.
The investigation will address:
- U.S. government response to the COVID-19 pandemic,
- the effectiveness of COVID-19 public health messaging,
- international cooperation in responding to and investigating COVID-19,
- the availability of medical supplies and personal protective equipment,
- the federal government’s role in the development, testing, production, and distribution of COVID-19 treatments and vaccines,
- the preparedness and capacity of the U.S. health care system,
- language variations regarding novel diseases and how that relates to stigma, discrimination, and harassment for certain communities,
- the origins of COVID-19, and
- any other subject the Commission determines relevant in developing recommendations to prepare for future pandemics.
Composition: The Commission will be composed of 10 members (5 members appointed from each political party).
Reporting: The Commission will submit to the President and Congress, and make publicly available, an interim report not later than 1 year after the date of the bill’s enactment and a final report not later than 20 months after the initial meeting of the Commission.
Powers: The Commission has authority to hold hearings, take testimony, administer oaths, and issue subpoenas.
Declassification of Evidence: This bill also commences a declassification review of information related to the origin of COVID–19 that the Commission requires.
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