The publication is reproduced in full below:
URGING THE ADMINISTRATION TO FACILITATE ASSISTANCE IN RESPONSE TO THE
DEVASTATING IMPACT OF COVID-19 IN INDIA
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the resolution (H. Res. 402) urging the Administration to facilitate assistance in response to the devastating impact of COVID-19 in India, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 402
Whereas in March 2021, a second wave of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (commonly referred to as ``COVID-19'') infectious began to surge in India, overwhelming health care workers, hospitals, and crematoriums throughout the country;
Whereas testing results indicate India is seeing more than 340,000 new daily infections and upward of 4,000 deaths a day, though public health experts believe case rates are higher;
Whereas cases have surged in neighboring countries such as Nepal and other countries in the area remain highly vulnerable to renewed spikes in cases;
Whereas the deadly COVID-19 outbreak in India is a global problem that requires a coordinated global response;
Whereas in the spring of 2020, when the United States was in the midst of a devastating spike in COVID-19 cases, India lifted its export ban on certain therapeutics in response to a request by the United States Government;
Whereas India's pharmaceutical industry is a vital part of the global solution to the pandemic, especially for much of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and is the world's biggest producer of COVID vaccines having exported 66.36 million doses to 93 countries, including to United Nations personnel and, accounting for over half of global vaccine manufacturing;
Whereas due to India's critical importance in global vaccine supply chains, an increase in domestic vaccine demand as a result of the surge of COVID-19 cases within India is of global concern;
Whereas in response to the crisis in India, the Biden administration took quick action to deliver urgently needed supplies to India, including oxygen support, oxygen concentrators, personal protective equipment (PPE), raw materials for vaccine, rapid diagnostic tests, and therapeutics, and is a testament to the historic record of United States-India health cooperation dating more than seven decades;
Whereas the United States private sector has worked to generously support relief efforts in India including by working to deliver 1,000 ventilators and 25,000 oxygen concentrators to health care facilities across India;
Whereas many countries around the world have also sent medical assistance to India to help the country defeat this devastating wave of the COVID-19 pandemic;
Whereas as the United States vaccine supply for the American people is secured, it is important for the United States to continue to ramp up its efforts, working with the private sector and all possible partners, to expand vaccine manufacturing and distribution worldwide; and
Whereas United States support for India to help beat back this latest coronavirus wave is in the United States national interest as the pandemic will not end anywhere until it ends everywhere: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) urges the Administration to facilitate private, in-kind medical supply donations to India and deliver additional, urgently needed medical supplies, including oxygen generator plants and a cryogenic oxygen tanker and containers;
(2) urges the Administration to facilitate assistance as needed to neighboring countries, including Nepal, that are facing the spread of COVID-19 and working with partners around the world to address the virus; and
(3) calls on the United States private sector and the Indian-American community to continue their unprecedented and generous efforts at procuring medical supplies for the Indian response during this time of need, building upon contributions to date, standing with the people of India as they collectively work to stem the spread of COVID-19.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks) and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
General Leave
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 402, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 402, urging the administration to facilitate assistance in response to the devastating impact of COVID-19 in India.
This resolution, introduced by my good friend Representative Sherman, is an excellent measure that solidifies this body's already strong, bipartisan support for the people of India as they recover from this most recent wave of COVID-19 infections.
It urges the administration to continue facilitating much-needed assistance. We are all saddened by the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on the Indian people. Beginning in March 2021, India started to experience a surge of COVID-19 cases and deaths. Indians from all backgrounds, young and old, urban and rural have been touched by this pandemic.
With infections rising at an alarming rate, the healthcare system struggled to provide care to all of those infected, and medical supply shortages were reported across the country.
Harrowing images depicted the devastation that COVID-19 caused, from family members looking for hospital beds and medical supplies, to funeral pyres burning nonstop, 24 hours a day, to ensure the last rites of the many people who have passed.
I am pleased with the Biden administration's swift response, sending much- needed medical supplies to India. It was not just the American Government that contributed. We witnessed many in the Indian-American community and the United States private sector rally support to get critical supplies to India.
We now see COVID-19 cases starting to come down, but we cannot let our guard down. We must do more to prepare for a potential new wave of infections. It is important to recognize that none of us will be safe until all of us are safe.
The pandemic continues to highlight the important role of India in combating this disease globally. Its role in the global medical manufacturing supply chain is critical to defeating this pandemic. The global community relies on Indian pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing capability. What happens in India also has spillover effects in neighboring countries like Nepal.
Again, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) for putting forth this resolution, and I ask my colleagues to vote in favor of it and stand in solidarity with the people of India.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. KIM of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I, too, want to thank my colleagues Congressman Sherman and Congressman Chabot for introducing this legislation.
COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the world, but some countries have been hit harder than others.
In March of this year, just as Americans were receiving COVID-19 vaccines and the United States was seeing a decline in cases, infections in India began to surge. A year before, in the spring of 2020, when the United States was experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases, India came to our aid and lifted its export ban on certain drugs in response to a request by the United States.
In response to India's surge, the United States quickly delivered much-needed supplies, such as PPE, rapid tests, and other drugs to India. This action from the United States, the world's oldest democracy, to India, the world's largest democracy, is only fitting. India and the United States are natural partners and COVID-19 has only proven our ties are growing stronger.
This resolution further shows that the House stands with the people of India as they work to stem the spread of COVID-19 throughout India.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman), a very valued member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, my good friend.
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for yielding. I want to thank my colleague and co-chair of the House Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, Mr. Chabot, for joining with me in introducing this resolution.
Mr. Chabot and I introduced this resolution recognizing the devastating impact that COVID-19 has had on India and expressing the sense of the House of Representatives about the need to provide the maximum possible assistance to India.
The House has a long, bipartisan record of supporting and strengthening the relationship between the United States, the world's oldest democracy, and India, the world's largest democracy.
I also want to thank Chairman Meeks and Ranking Member McCaul for working with us on this important resolution, and thank my colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee for passing this resolution unanimously.
The COVID-19 outbreak in India requires a global response. We know that the COVID epidemic is not limited by international borders, and the pandemic will not end anywhere until it ends everywhere, as the chairman pointed out.
This is particularly true with regard to variants and we are aware of the delta variant that is now spreading.
{time} 1645
Until we can vaccinate the world, there will be millions, billions of opportunities for this virus to infect; where it infects, it replicates; where it replicates, it mutates and poses the risk of developing a strain that, unlike the strains we have dealt with so far, evades the vaccines that we have developed.
We have been working in a bipartisan manner to address the devastating effects of this second COVID-19 wave in India. Official testing results indicate that India has seen more than 340,000 daily infections and over 4,000 daily deaths. But many public health officials believe these numbers understate the matter, and that perhaps upwards of 2 million people a day have been infected in India.
Of course, we have seen a slight abatement in those horrific numbers, but the problem remains.
I want to thank the Biden administration and commend them for organizing so many parts of the U.S. Government, the CDC, HHS, USAID, the State Department, in getting materials to India that will help vaccine production, provide rapid COVID testing and, most importantly, oxygen support, particularly, oxygen concentrators and, of course, PPE to help save lives.
This resolution is part of the ongoing effort of the India Caucus to help India at this time of need. Earlier this year, we sent a bipartisan request to the President requesting that we increase our assistance to India in battling COVID-19, particularly focusing on the raw materials necessary to manufacture vaccines and oxygen concentration equipment.
By early May, the United States had provided over $100 million worth of medical supplies, including that oxygen support, and PPE, rapid diagnostic tests, and therapeutics.
USAID also facilitated the delivery of 440 oxygen cylinders and concentrators to India, generously donated by the State of California.
We should recognize the substantial support of the American public. In response to India's crisis, the Indian-American community has contributed significantly to the effort; individuals, along with the private sector, continue to do so.
Indian-American companies, such as Prime Healthcare, are working to assist efforts, not only to deliver necessary medical supplies, but also ensure that they reach the people most in need. And the U.S.-India Business Council has worked to coordinate a coalition of corporations, nonprofits, and individuals to deliver thousands of ventilators and oxygen concentrators to India.
This resolution stands with the people of India as they collectively work to stem the spread of COVID-19, urges the administration to facilitate private and in-kind medical supply donations, and urges the delivery of urgently needed supplies to India.
This resolution recognizes the importance of work by the U.S. Government and of Indian Americans in the private sector.
There is no doubt that the U.S.-India relationship is growing closer, and that our assistance to India, to help overcome this terrible COVID wave, is a critical part of building that relationship.
Mrs. KIM of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
In closing, I would like to, once again, thank Representative Sherman and Representative Chabot for their work on this resolution.
It has been said before, but I will say it again, COVID-19 has shown that pandemics know no borders. Allies must come together and support one another during these difficult times. And we must work with India and the international community to end the spread of COVID-19 and prevent future pandemics.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this resolution, H. Res. 402, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Again, I want to thank Mr. Sherman and Mr. Chabot for showing how this committee has worked in a bipartisan manner for the benefit of our friends and allies and, in this case, India.
By passing this good, bipartisan resolution, the House will send a clear message that we stand with the people of India as they work to contain the spread of COVID-19. We recognize that India will continue to play an important role in containing the further global spread of COVID-19, and support global efforts to end this pandemic.
We also urge the administration to continue working with the Indian Government. Just yesterday, I was at the Indian consulate in New York, where I had an opportunity to talk to the consul general, who was very appreciative knowing that this bill would be on the House floor today; who told me to extend thank-yous to both Mr. Sherman and Mr. Chabot; that it further shows American leadership and friendship with the people of India; and that we would only grow closer together to benefit not just our respective countries, but the rest of the world.
This moves and helps the people in India. So I would like to conclude by just thanking everyone, once again, for working together in a bipartisan way to do the right thing for our friends from the country of India.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 402, which Congressman Brad Sherman and I introduced to call attention to India's COVID-19 second wave and press for needed assistance.
India's second wave has been a truly overwhelming challenge. As Co-
Chair of the House Caucus on India and Indian Americans, I found the images in the press, the stories about the lack of oxygen, and the sheer scale of the crisis to be truly daunting. And the suffering is being felt not only in India but also right here at home by many of our constituents in the Indian American community, who have family members in India that are impacted by this deadly upswing in the pandemic.
While case rates in India continue to drop, passage of this resolution today shows that Congress and the American people are committed to helping India finish the battle against the second wave and prepare to win the war against COVID-19 altogether. Early in the pandemic, India helped us; it is our turn to offer a helping hand. We must continue to employ all effective measures to help them through this trying time.
The crisis in India is a potent reminder of the toll of this pandemic and of the importance of preparing ourselves and the world so that the next disease does not cause the damage we have seen as a result of COVID-19.
So I would urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 402, ``Urging the administration to facilitate assistance in response to the devastating impacts of COVID-19 in India,'' which advocates for direct aid to India as it continues to battle the devastating effects of COVID-19.
I thank my colleague, Congressman Sherman of California, for authoring this important legislation that will save the lives of many in India.
Testing results reveal that India is experiencing more than 340,000 new daily infections and more than 4,000 deaths a day, and many public health experts believe case rates are likely higher.
India has the biggest global vaccine manufacturing capacity and was a major exporter of the vaccine.
More than 70 low-income nations received vaccines made in India, with a total of more than 60 million doses leaving India.
Prior to its surge in COVID-19 cases, it exported tens of millions of doses before its own demand skyrocketed and led to a shortage in some states.
Given India's critical role in global vaccine supply chains, an increase in vaccine demand due to the surge of COVID-19 cases within India is of a global concern.
With more than 600 thousand deaths from COVID-19, we in the United States are no strangers to the devastating consequences of the pandemic.
Since the onset of the pandemic, Texas has seen a devastating 52,458 deaths due to COVID-19, 6,575 of those deaths occurred in Harris Country, portions of which are in my congressional district.
India responded to the spike in COVID-19 cases here in the United States by lifting its export ban on certain therapeutics.
With the help of widespread vaccination, the United States was then able to reduce the number of COVID-19 deaths to 4 percent of our peak today.
The Indian people, who have been instrumental in vaccine production worldwide, deserve the same relief.
In New Delhi alone, one individual dies of COVID-19 every 4 minutes.
Since COVID-19 vaccine distribution began in the United States on December 14, 2020, more than 323 million doses have been administered, fully vaccinating over 153 million people, that's 46.1 percent of the total U.S. population.
Now that the United States vaccine supply is secured, I encourage our government to show its support for India by passing this resolution.
This resolution calls on the Indian American community to continue their efforts to help quell the spread of the virus in India, they need the support of the United States government.
Texas is home to the second-largest Indian American community in the United States.
At least 82,575 of these individuals live in my district, located in the West of Houston.
Thus, it is in the interest of Harris County, of Texas, interest, and of the United States more broadly to aid India in stemming the spread of this virus.
I worked hard to halt the spread of COVID-19 in my own district, partnering with Houston hospitals, local public health agencies, local businesses, and international corporations to stop the spread of the virus in local communities.
But the pandemic will not end anywhere until it has ended everywhere, and as a global travel hub, the United States is particularly vulnerable to the continued spread.
As I work on legislation to aid and support communities in dire need across the globe, I support passage of this resolution today and ask that my colleagues do the same.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 402, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mrs. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion are postponed.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 112
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