A Conversation with Congresswoman Lauren Underwood
"A Conversation with Congresswoman Lauren Underwood." CSIS Commission on Strengthening America's Health Security, Center for Strategic and International Studies, May 07, 2021. Accessed December 21, 2023. https://healthsecurity.csis.org/events/a-conversation-with-congresswoman-lauren-underwood/
On Friday, May 7 from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. EDT, the CSIS Commission on Strengthening America’s Health Security hosted a timely conversation with Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14). The American Rescue Plan Act has ushered in a new phase in the national Covid-19 response. A majority of the adult population in the United States has received at least one dose of the vaccine, resulting in declining daily death counts. Control of the virus, however, remains elusive and many communities continue to experience high caseloads. Abroad, the United States faces a vaccine marketplace in disarray. Low- and middle-income countries struggle to secure doses and remain susceptible to uncontrolled transmission. A rapid, equitable and global recovery is at risk.
What key lessons have the U.S. Congress and American public learned from the pandemic? Does the American Rescue Plan Act set the stage for sustainable, increased investment in federal and state public health infrastructure? What additional steps should be taken to address systemic public health disparities across key populations? And what role should Congress play in directing U.S. engagement on global health security, including global vaccination campaigns, genomic sequencing, and disease surveillance?
J. Stephen Morrison, Senior Vice President and Director of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center, discussed these pressing issues with Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, Member of the CSIS Commission on Strengthening America’s Health Security, House Committee on Appropriations, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and Co-Chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus.
This event is made possible by the generous support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.