Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) has introduced the Supply Chain Accountability Act, legislation that would require the administration to explain its strategy for fixing key breakdowns in the pandemic response.
Beyer serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means, which has partial jurisdiction over healthcare matters.
“The United States still has one of the worst pandemic responses in the world, and it shows in our rates of infection and death,” said Beyer. “Over six months into the worst crisis of our lifetimes, the federal response still has enormous shortcomings, including widespread testing delays caused by supply chain shortages. The Trump Administration has been utterly incompetent, choosing to blame states rather than leading. My bill would require them to actually start solving problems.”
The Supply Chain Accountability Act would require the identification of pandemic response supply chain gaps, including:
- Healthcare providers reusing PPE
- Long term care facilities unable to test workers twice weekly
- Localities forced to ration testing
- Localities taking more than three days to report testing results
Additionally, wherever such supply chain gaps are identified, the relevant federal agencies would be required to outline a strategy for fixing those gaps, and communicate it to the institutions or localities affected and their congressional representatives.
Text of the Supply Chain Accountability Act is available here.
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