Senator Richard Burr Named Top Republican on Senate HELP Committee

Today, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) was named Ranking Member for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) for the 117th Congress. Senator Burr released the following statement:

“I am honored to be selected to serve as Ranking Member on the Senate HELP Committee. Our nation is in the middle of a global pandemic that has posed some of the greatest public health, educational, and economic challenges we’ve ever faced. This is a critical moment. The decisions we make today will determine the direction of our country for years, and likely decades, to come.

“I’ve worked on pandemic and biodefense preparedness for the majority of my 26 years in Congress. In 2006, I co-authored the law that created today’s comprehensive response framework, the bipartisan Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA). Over the last decade, I’ve worked to ensure that each time we renewed PAPHA, we included new insights gleaned from subsequent public health threats, from anthrax to Zika.

“As we confront the current crisis and prepare for future threats, robust oversight and accountability will be key. Congress must fully examine the federal, state, and local responses to the novel coronavirus, so we can keep what worked, improve on what didn’t, and apply these lessons moving forward.

“As Ranking Member of the HELP Committee, I intend to conduct vigorous and appropriate oversight of the federal government and relevant agencies, many of which need significant reforms to better meet their public health mission. I intend to ask tough questions and to get real answers. I look forward to working with my colleagues – on both sides of the aisle – as we tackle the most pressing issues confronting our nation.” 

In the 117th Congress, Senator Burr will also continue to serve as a senior member on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the Senate Committee on Finance, and the Senate Special Committee on Aging.