E&C Republican Leaders: Second EUA is a Testament to American Ingenuity

Press Release

Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader for the 116th Congress Greg Walden (R-OR), Republican Leader for the 117th Congress Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Health Subcommittee Republican Leader Dr. Michael Burgess (R-TX), and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Republican Leader Brett Guthrie (R-KY) released the following statement after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its second emergency use authorization (EUA) for a COVID-19 vaccine, this time authorizing Moderna's vaccine for distribution.

"In just one week, we've gone from zero authorized vaccines to two that have both exceeded the strong safety and efficacy standards set by the FDA. This is a true testament to American ingenuity and the work of President Trump's Operation Warp Speed, the scientific and public health communities, and the patients who have volunteered their time to participate in clinical trials. This week, all Americans felt hope when we saw brave front line health workers receive the first vaccines. As we said last week, this is the beginning of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we owe it to every essential worker to continue handwashing and wearing masks. The United States of America will lead the world out of this pandemic, but we must continue doing our part to keep each other safe," said Walden, Rodgers, Burgess, and Guthrie.

The EUA follows a strong 20-0 vote by a panel of non-political scientific experts tasked with reviewing Moderna's clinical trial safety and efficacy data. Last Friday, the Republican Leaders commented on the authorization of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine. Read that statement here.

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