FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: James Arnold or Mary Collins Atkinson (202) 224-2353
May 19, 2021 

Cotton Introduces Bill to Codify Successes of Operation Warp Speed, Prepare for Future Pandemics

Washington, D.C. – Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) introduced the Operation Warp Speed Act, legislation to codify the successes of Operation Warp Speed for use in the event of another pandemic. The bill addresses shortages in the Strategic National Stockpile, increases the speed of safe approval for life-saving medicine, and improves domestic manufacturing. For bill text, click here.

“Operation Warp Speed’s success shouldn’t be ignored—it should be standardized so that the United States is more prepared next time. My bill builds upon the success of Operation Warp Speed and strengthens our ability to fight any future pandemic.”

The Operation Warp Speed Act would:

  • Require HHS to assess what supplies are missing from the Strategic National Stockpile, and submit an annual report to Congress on potential production shortfalls in an emergency
  • Give priority to domestic manufacturers for vaccine production and supplies needed for the National Strategic Stockpile
  • Remove emergency use authorization (EUA) approval from the bureaucrats at the FDA and instead allow leaders from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), CDC, FDA, NIH to grant EUA approval when three of the four agency leaders agree it is in the country’s best interest, and require these agencies to review EUA data on a rolling basis
  • Assess geographic gaps in clinical trial sites across the United States
  • Grant ASPR flexibility for funds used to secure contracts with the private sector during a public health emergency, and create a new operations role within ASPR to ensure the timely development of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics in the event of another public health emergency.

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