Flags were on the Capitol Building and at the white house are being flown at half staff in members of pearl harbor. Now live coverage of the u. S. Senate here on cspan2. The senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Black, will lead the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Great redeemer, guide our lawmakers along the best path to fulfill your purposes on earth. May they submit to your wisdom and providential leading, believing that you will supply all of their needs. Remind them that your unfailing love accompanies those who put their trust in you. Give our senators an attitude of reverential awe that will keep them from evil. Inspire them to rejoice and be glad, as they strive to live lives of purity and obedience. And lord, as we remember pearl harbor on this december 7th, thank you for your loving and prevailing providence. May we show our gratitude by facing the future without fear. We pray in your majestic name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in reciting
Rum be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer now, a short time ago, a ceremony honoring the life of the great representative john lewis was held in the capitol rotunda. The first time in our nations history that an African American lawmaker had laid in state. Last week i shared my reflections on the life and legacy of john lewis here on the floor. In the story of america, john was one of those special whos rose whose moral clarity shone out like a beacon for others to follow. Today, as we honor his extraordinary life here in the capitol, many of us his friends, his colleagues are filled with a deep sense of loss. But i want to share a short message of hope. It seems easy to forget that john was just a teenager when he started the work of redeeming it seems easy to forget that john lewis was just a teenager when he started the work of redeeming the soul of america, as he put it. He was 18 years old when he first met dr. King. 21 when he was aarrested as a
The u. S. Senate is about to gavel in. They are going to work on a judicial nomination with a confirmation vote scheduled for 5 30 for 5 30 p. M. Eastern. Republicans leader Mitch Mcconnell may introduce the republican covid19 recovery plan. Live now to the senate floor. The president pro tempore the senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Black, will open the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Eternal lord god, we again thank you for the life and legacy of representative john robert lewis. Lord, accept our gratitude for his ethical congruence that motivated him to find a moral way to get in the way. Were grateful that his passion for freedom summoned our nation to embrace our best hopes and not our worst fears. Inspired by his exemplary pilgrimage, may our lawmakers strive to live with such integrity that they will stand on the right side of history. Lord, help our senators to strive to see you more clearly, to love you more dearly, and to follow you more nearly day by d
Welcome back. At this time i would like to introduce our second panel of witnesses. The first witness on our second panel is dr. Sharon watkins. Dr. Watkins is the director for the bureau of epidemiology in the state epidemiologist for the Pennsylvania Department of health. Shes also the president of the council of state and territorial epidemiologists. Dr. Watkins is responsible foror management and oversight of the bureau of epidemiology which includes the division of infectious disease, Environmental Health and community health. Dr. Watkins has led disease prevailed at outbreak response efforts include those with zika, hepatitis a. Dr. Watkinss has over 40 peerreviewed publications and over 20 years of experience in applied Public Health and epidemiology. Thank you for being here, dr. Watkins. Our secondgy witness is dr. Robin robinson. Dr. Robinson is currently Vice President of Scientific Affairs for renovacare incorporated. Director of development for wound healing. Previously se
21st Century Public Health threats. The nations preparedness and response capabilities. We will hear from the assistant secretary preparedness and response at the department of human health and services. Chapter at the centers for Disease Control and prevention. And doctor Scott Gottlieb commissioner for the fda. This is the first of two hearings we plan to have on this topic. The second will be noticed for tuesday, january 23rd. Senator murray and i each have an opening statement. Then i will turn to senator alexander and casey for opening remarks they might have. After that will introduce the panel of witnesses and we will hear their testimonies and then each member will have up to five minutes for any remarks and questions. First i would like to welcome the chairman and thank him for giving me the opportunity to hold the devil today. This hearing discusses a topic that is critical to the National Security and has seen many years of bipartisan work in this committee and in this congr