Democrats Unveil $7B Bioterror Package as Public Health System Faces More Criticism

House Democrats on Oct. 25 "unveiled" a $7 billion bioterrorism package that includes "far more funding for state and local preparedness than the Bush administration has proposed," CongressDaily reports. The legislation will provide "at least $2 billion" directly to state and local agencies to "beef up their ability" to prepare for and react to a bioterrorist attack. The legislation will also offer funds to "boost the amount of drugs and vaccines in the national pharmaceutical stockpile," and increase protections for food and water safety. Meanwhile, negotiations continue in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee over a bipartisan bioterrorism bill. Committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) has lowered his proposal from a $10 billion package to "around $6 billion" -- but that amount that "remains too high for most Republicans," CongressDaily reports (Rovner/Hagstrom, CongressDaily, 10/25).

Nunn Back on the Hill
The public health system faced more criticism yesterday over its ability to handle bioterrorism, as the Senate Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities held a hearing where experts testified that the public health system needs to better prepare emergency workers who would be on the "front lines" of an attack, the Cox News Service/Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), who chaired the Senate Armed Services committee in 1980s and 1990s and earlier this year participated in a federal bioterrorism exercise, called for an increase in communication and "better...educat[ion]", saying the "average American" also needs to "know what to do and what to look for during a public health crisis." He added, "We need to have people who can stand up on a daily basis and brief people so people know what to do. I blame no one, but I think this communication gap is huge" (Eversley, Cox News Service/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 10/26).

Lack of Coordination
The Los Angeles Times reports that the lack of information provided to the public and the poor coordination between government agencies has put the "weaknesses" of the public health system "under a glaring light." The Times reports that law enforcement officials investigating the anthrax incidents have been "slow to share information" with public health officials who generally "like to disseminate information as quickly as possible to alert the public to risks" (Ornstein, Los Angeles Times, 10/26). The Washington Post reports that Office of Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge called a meeting Wednesday to address the lack of communication between government agencies. The meeting included Attorney General John Ashcroft, FBI Director Robert Mueller and HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson. The FBI and CDC nevertheless "remained at odds" yesterday, the Post reports, over the response to the anthrax-laden letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and the risk it posed to post office workers in Washington, D.C. The CDC claims that the FBI did not show CDC investigators the letter, and that they had "no idea of the condition of the envelope" -- making it difficult to determine the level of risk to postal workers. According to Jeffrey Koplan, director of the CDC, "They were described to us as well taped, meaning the seals along the letter were taped in a way that minimized, if not eliminated, the ability of powder to seep out through the openings." He added, "We were still operating on the assumption that in order for a letter to convey anthrax, it had to be opened or torn or disrupted." The FBI disputed that it was slow to share information with health officials (Piann/Connolly, Washington Post, 10/26). Thompson said, "We've all got to rededicate ourselves to sharing information, and as quickly as possible" (Los Angeles Times, 10/26). For comprehensive public health information from the CDC on anthrax and other bioterrorism issues, please visit www.bt.cdc.gov.