Romney, Murphy introduce bill to name global health coordinator, council amid coronavirus pandemic
By Jordain Carney - 04/10/20 05:56 PM EDT
A bipartisan pair of senators introduced legislation on Friday that would require President Trump to appoint a global health coordinator and create an inter-agency council charged with preparing for pandemics.
The bill, from Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah), comes after the White House garnered criticism in the midst of the coronavirus for a 2018 decision to disband the National Security Council's global health unit, a decision former national security adviser John Bolton characterized as a "streamlining."
"We clearly weren't prepared in this case, and we cannot waste time in establishing new organizations in the federal government that can identify and prepare for health threats before they become domestic crises," Murphy said in a statement.
Romney added that the U.S. response to the coronavirus had "exposed some glaring gaps in our nation’s capacity to respond to a pandemic."
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/492288-romney-murphy-introduce-bill-to-name-global-health-coordinator-council-amid