Jayapal Applauds Biden Decision to Help Vaccinate the World
“We have not defeated a global pandemic until we have defeated it everywhere.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement applauding President Joe Biden’s decision to provide 500 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to countries around the world:
“I applaud President Biden’s momentous decision to provide 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to dozens of nations in need — including India, Brazil, and other places where COVID-19 is surging. By doing so, we are not only taking a critical step in unleashing the resources necessary to defeat this deadly virus abroad, but we are protecting people at home while restoring our place as a global leader and international partner. At the heart of today’s announcement is a powerful recognition that whether you live in America or around the world, your future is intertwined with mine — that we are all better off when we are all better off.
“The truth is that we have not defeated a global pandemic until we have defeated it everywhere. That is why I led my colleagues in urging President Biden to take aggressive and immediate steps to ensure that vaccines are quickly and equitably administered around the world. It is also why I helped introduce the NOVID Act to dramatically expand our international coronavirus prevention efforts. The Biden administration’s decision to provide 500 million doses, support the TRIPS waiver, and quickly send 80 million doses to countries battling the pandemic are essential first steps. But to fully vaccinate the world, decisively crush the virus, and finally end this devastating pandemic, it will take additional action.
“I look forward to continuing my work alongside the Biden administration as we implement additional measures — from financial investments to diplomatic efforts. This includes ensuring that doses are equitably and quickly distributed, that the TRIPS waiver adoption is secured, and that we invest an additional $25 billion in the Build Back Better agenda to authorize the BARDA to oversee the production of 8 billion mRNA vaccine doses. We must also use all available tools of U.S. influence, persuasion, and diplomacy to facilitate the rapid and widespread expansion of vaccine production while convening a global vaccine summit with world leaders to spur coordination. Finally, this crisis calls for supporting a new issuance of Special Drawing Rights to help strengthen public-health budgets worldwide and provide low-income countries with resources to import medical supplies and carry out vaccination campaigns.”
###
Issues: Health Care