Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley will introduce a bill Thursday that will help Americans protect themselves from the Coronavirus, the Daily Caller has learned.
“The coronavirus outbreak in China has highlighted severe and longstanding weaknesses in our medical supply chain. This is more than unfortunate; it’s a danger to public health. Our health officials need to know the extent of our reliance on Chinese production so they can take all necessary action to protect Americans,” Hawley told the Daily Caller.
“This legislation will give us the information we need to better secure our supply chain and ensure that Americans have uninterrupted access to life-saving drugs and medical devices,” Hawley continued. (RELATED: Trump Criticizes Dems’ Coronavirus Debate Answers During Return Flight From India)
READ THE FULL BILL HERE:
Hawley Medical Supply Chain Security Act Bill Text on Scribd
(Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
The legislation would help secure the U.S. medical product supply chain by requiring that manufacturers report imminent or forecasted shortages of life-saving or life-sustaining medical devices to the FDA, just as they currently do for pharmaceutical drugs.
President Donald Trump held a press conference Wednesday night to discuss how the U.S. will deal with the disease, putting Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the task force. (RELATED: President Trump Appoints Vice President Pence To Head Coronavirus Task Force)
The White House press briefing was held hours after Trump returned from a diplomatic trip to India. He described the current threat level of the disease as “low” within the U.S.