Malinowski Introduces Bill To Create 9/11-Style Covid Commission

NORTH JERSEY — On Wednesday, New Jersey 7th District Rep. Tom Malinowski, a Democrat, along with Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart from Florida, introduced legislation to create a bipartisan commission to look at the national response to COVID-19 and give recommendations to improve American readiness for future pandemics.

Malinowski's office said the commission will be "closely modeled after the 9/11 Commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks."

The National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021 builds upon legislation the two Congress members introduced last Congress. Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced the Senate version.

"This isn’t about pointing fingers, but learning from our experiences and promising to do better," Menendez said, "We will need to come together in a bipartisan way, as we did after 9/11 ... because if we fail to learn anything from COVID-19, we are doomed to repeat this.”

Malinowski noted the death toll from the virus which reached 500,000 Americans this week, calling it an "unimaginable milestone."

In New Jersey, there were 27 percent more overall deaths in the state in 2020 than in each of the previous two years.

“The American people deserve a thorough, non-partisan, investigation into how our government responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, what went wrong, and how we can contain and prevent future pandemics,” said Malinowski.

Malinowski's district includes parts of six northwestern New Jersey counties, including Essex, Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Union, and Warren, encompassing 74 towns.

'Lives devastated ... economy decimated'

“Almost one year has passed since the coronavirus struck our nation, and today we are still seeking information on our preparedness and response to this pandemic,” said Rep. Diaz-Balart. “By establishing a bipartisan, bicameral National Coronavirus Commission we can ensure that we are prepared for any future global public health emergency and its potential threat to our National Security.”

“After more than half-a-million Americans have died from COVID-19, we have a responsibility to do a thorough, independent review of what happened, what went wrong and what we can do better, so we’re prepared for the next public health emergency,” said Menendez. “Millions of American lives have been devastated, our health systems have been pushed to the brink, and our economy has been decimated."

The National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021 establishes a 10-member independent body comprised of prominent Americans with expertise in government service, public health, commerce, scientific research, public administration, intelligence gathering, national security, and/or foreign affairs.

The National Coronavirus Commission will have a broad mandate and subpoena power to examine the facts related to the emergence and spread of COVID-19 in the United States.

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