New England Council Backs 9/11-Style COVID Commission
Council Endorses Bipartisan Legislation to Create Independent Commission To Investigate Pandemic Response
The New England Council is calling on Congress to pass legislation to create an independent, non-partisan commission, closely modeled after the 9/11 Commission that investigated the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, to assess the nation’s pandemic preparedness and response. In a letter sent to each member of the New England Congressional delegation, the Council endorsed the bipartisan “National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021” and urged the region’s Senators and Representatives to support the proposal.
This legislation was introduce in the House in February, and in the Senate in March. Senator Susan Collins is one of the lead sponsors of the Senate version. Under the bill, the Commission would have a broad mandate and subpoena power to examine the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, and it would make a full and complete accounting of the nation’s preparedness and response. The commission would also be charged with providing recommendations to improve our country’s readiness for future public health crises.
For more information on this issue or on the NEC Healthcare Committee, please contact Sean Malone.