Funding to Prevent Future Pandemics Important for National Security

|
Posted: Jul 02, 2022 12:01 AM

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

Despite the rancor that accompanies the election cycle, Congress can get one very important thing done before the fall elections — fully fund pandemic response and prevention plans in the name of national security.When appropriating money to fund the federal government for the next fiscal year, preventing future pandemics is of paramount importance. The federal government must continue to work on strengthening our nation’s defenses against pandemics and other security threats which impact public health. These investments to prevent future public health catastrophes can be categorized as providing for the common defense as memorialized in the preamble of the U.S. Constitution. Conservative lawmakers ought to offer full support, as these elected officials believe in a limited government that works to protect the American people from threats both foreign and domestic – and pandemics qualify.During the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans suffered unprecedented levels of death, illness, and economic pain. The estimated deaths exceeded 1 million and the cost to the economy was at least $16 trillion. The pandemic caused – and continues to affect — supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, a surge in the use of health care resources and a major hit to small businesses. America simply can’t go through another devastating pandemic unprepared and without adequate defenses.We now know America was not prepa …