Cassidy proposes legislation to plan for domestic emergency medical manufacturing

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) on Oct. 4 introduced a bipartisan bill that would require a federal plan be devised to bolster the nation’s domestic medical supply chain.

“If another pandemic hits the U.S., we cannot depend on China and other countries for the PPE and other resources we need to save lives,” Sen. Cassidy said on Monday. “This bill ensures we have manufacturers here at home we can rely on.”

The Strategic Planning for Emergency Medical Manufacturing Act, S. 2925, which is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), would direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response to develop and maintain a voluntary list of domestic manufacturers that could shift to producing medical supplies during severe shortages, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Cassidy’s office.

Additionally, HHS would be tasked with creating a streamlined process for U.S. manufacturers to work with the department to determine production capacity, technical assistance needs, and opportunities for federal contracts, the summary says.

“Our bipartisan legislation would provide proactive federal planning and training support for American companies to help the U.S. overcome future medical supply chain shortages, so that we are less reliant on foreign manufacturers like China and better prepared for the next pandemic,” said Sen. Rosen.

The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee is reviewing the proposed legislation.