°®¶¹´«Ã½

°®¶¹´«Ã½ (ASM) commends House and Senate Appropriations leaders for negotiating an emergency supplemental appropriations bill to address the research and public health needs stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak. We call on Congress and the White House to provide this critical funding immediately. These urgently needed funds are essential to our public health and research agencies, including the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the HHS Office of Preparedness and Response (ASPR), whose staff are working tirelessly to protect the American public from this ongoing public health threat.

ASM and its 30,000 members especially thank House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), and the respective Appropriations Subcommittee Chairs. Their efforts are essential for progress on a COVID-19 vaccine, developing and testing therapeutics against the virus, supporting state and local public health agencies responding to the outbreak, enhancing CDC’s global disease detection and response efforts, supporting coronavirus diagnostics and boosting emergency preparedness measures.

Beyond the immediate resource needs, the current coronavirus public health emergency illustrates the importance of sustained investments across multiple government agencies, including the CDC, NIH, ASPR and the FDA; and it underscores the need for maintaining open and timely communication with the American public and with our international partners.

We urge Congress to move swiftly to pass this bill and send it to the President for his signature. °®¶¹´«Ã½ is one of the largest professional societies dedicated to the life sciences and is composed of 30,000 scientists and health practitioners. ASM's mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences.

ASM advances the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications and educational opportunities. It enhances laboratory capacity around the globe through training and resources. It provides a network for scientists in academia, industry and clinical settings. Additionally, ASM promotes a deeper understanding of the microbial sciences to diverse audiences