Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris are planning to introduce legislation in the Senate that would create a bipartisan commission to review the U.S. response to the coronavirus.
The California Democrats say it would be similar to the one set up after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Their plans were announced after Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., formally introduced a bill in the House that would provide “a full accounting of the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.”
"The coronavirus showed just how unprepared and slow we were to respond to a major outbreak. And that lack of readiness endangered lives,” Feinstein said in a statement. “We know this won’t be the last outbreak, so a 9/11 Commission-style panel is necessary to fix these mistakes going forward and apply the lessons from this pandemic to future crises.”
Harris said that the Trump administration’s response had demonstrated it was “unprepared to confront the coronavirus pandemic and economic crisis, let alone both at the same time,” adding that the commission’s work should include an analysis of “the disturbing disparity in prevention and health outcomes in the Black community.”
Under Schiff’s proposal, the commission would consist of 10 members, with backgrounds in public health, emergency preparedness, the military and other areas.
The commission would commence its work in February 2021, after the presidential election, and hopefully after the pandemic has been overcome.
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