{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mfume.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-mfume-select-subcommittee-democrats-seek-update-on-biden-administration-s-pandemic-prevention-and-preparedness-initiatives", "Congressman Mfume, Select Subcommittee Democrats Seek Update on Biden Administration\u2019s Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness Initiatives", "2023-09-12", "2023", "2023-09", "Democrat", "House", "MD", "Kweisi Mfume", "M000687", "mfume.house.gov", "mfume", "https://mfume.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 This week, Rep. Raul Ruiz, M.D., Ranking Member of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, led every Democratic Member of the Select Subcommittee in sending a letter to Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), requesting information on the Biden Administration\u2019s ongoing efforts to prevent and prepare for future pandemics.\n\nThe Members are requesting information regarding the Administration\u2019s progress in implementing key provisions Democrats passed in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (CAA) to enhance biosafety, biosecurity, and public health infrastructure, as well as recommendations issued by the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) to reduce risks associated with research involving pathogens.\n\n\u201cPandemic prevention and preparedness are vital to our nation\u2019s public health, and Select Subcommittee Democrats stand ready to partner with you and your Administration colleagues in advancing these crucial objectives,\u201d the Members wrote.\n\nThe CAA included several provisions to protect public health and improve the detection of emerging threats, including by growing the country\u2019s public health workforce, securing domestic supply chains, strengthening coordination across government agencies, and bolstering the safety of biomedical research involving pathogens of pandemic potential.\n\nAt the direction of the Biden Administration, NSABB conducted a comprehensive evaluation of United States biosecurity policy frameworks for research with enhanced potential pandemic pathogens (ePPP) and Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC). In March 2023, NSABB released a series of recommendations to strengthen the United States government\u2019s oversight of research that could pose biosafety and biosecurity risks.\n\nClick here to read the full letter.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://mfume.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-mfume-select-subcommittee-democrats-seek-update-on-biden-administration-s-pandemic-prevention-and-preparedness-initiatives"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.665094867348671, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}