Open RAN Outreach Act

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3635) to amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to the Strategic National Stockpile, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3635.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3635, the Strengthening America's Strategic National Stockpile Act of 2021.

This bill makes long-overdue improvements to the Strategic National Stockpile to ensure we have access to critical lifesaving medical supplies during public health emergencies. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a lot of attention around the Strategic National Stockpile and our preparedness for this pandemic.

The stockpile was not stocked as it should have been and this bill makes important improvements to correct that for the future. The bill will ensure that the Strategic National Stockpile, also known as SNS, is operating at its highest potential moving forward in order to continue to respond to COVID-19, and also to prepare for the next public health emergency.

This bipartisan bill seeks to reduce America's dependence on foreign sources of critical medical supplies, including personal protective equipment. It does this by boosting domestic manufacturing to make those supplies in the United States and promoting private-public partnerships to ensure a coordinated response. The legislation also makes needed improvements to the Strategic National Stockpile to ensure it is fully equipped with medical supplies that are safe and in working order.

Importantly, the bill also improves transparency around the readiness of the Strategic National Stockpile and how requests from States and Tribes are being managed. It also directs the Department of Health and Human Services to develop and implement improved, transparent processes for these types of requests moving forward. This will be critical for ensuring adequate supplies within the Strategic National Stockpile, as well as informing readiness efforts in the States and also at Tribal levels.

As healthcare systems all across our Nation continue to be stretched to the limit combating the COVID-19 Delta variant, we need to continue to push solutions that support our public health and national security response capability. The improvements to the Strategic National Stockpile put forward in this bill are critical to protecting our frontline workers and patients with the supplies that they need to stay safe.

Madam Speaker, I commend the bipartisan leadership of Representatives Slotkin and Hudson in preparing this bill. This bipartisan bill was passed out of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and by this House unanimously last Congress.

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to once again join me in strong support of this important bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I agree with my colleague that what this bill does is basically take the lessons that we learned from the pandemic about what can be done to improve the Strategic National Stockpile for the future.

Madam Speaker, I ask everyone to support the bill on a bipartisan basis, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3635, the Strengthening America's Strategic National Stockpile Act. A key lesson from the pandemic has been the absolute need to end our dependence on the Chinese Communist Party for the production of medicines, personal protective equipment, and other critical medical supplies.

Now more than ever, we know that secure and resilient supply chains are vital to the safety and success of the American people. It is so critical to focus on breaking our dependency on China and move domestic manufacturing of PPE products back home to the U.S.

Early on in the pandemic, the Department of Homeland Security concluded that China ``intentionally concealed the severity'' of this virus so they could hoard PPE by blocking exports and buying it up through its state-owned enterprises, a theory that has been confirmed time and time again.

In March of 2020, the New York Times reported that factories in China were not authorized to export masks, and all the while bought up much of the world's supply first. In February of last year, Chinese entrepreneurs and aid groups visited pharmacies in affluent countries and emerging markets, buying masks in bulk to send to China.

Similarly, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the Greenland Group, a Chinese government-backed property giant, instructed its employees worldwide--even accountants and receptionists and their HR teams--to stop what they were doing and bulk buy as many medical supplies as they could in January and February of 2020.

It is quite simple. We must not trust the Chinese Communist Party. The bipartisan legislation before us today is a strong step in the right direction toward strengthening American manufacturing of PPE in Indiana and across the rest of the country.

Specifically, it includes the Medical Supplies for Pandemics Act I led with Congresswoman Dingell, that would enhance medical supply chain elasticity, improve the domestic production of PPE, and partner with private industry to refresh and replenish existing stocks of medical supplies.

Our legislation takes other important measures, such as supporting State efforts to expand and maintain our own stockpiles, improving maintenance of the national stockpile to ensure it is in good working order and allow the transfer of stockpile items nearing their expiration dates to other federal agencies.

To prepare for the next crisis and better protect frontline healthcare workers, we need to boost U.S. manufacturing of PPE and strengthen the Strategic National Stockpile.

Madam Speaker, I urge support, and I thank my colleagues.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3635, Strengthening America's Strategic National Stockpile Act, which was spearheaded by Representatives Hudson and Slotkin. This legislation includes several critical initiatives that will improve the Strategic National Stockpile, or SNS.

First, the bill allows the SNS to transfer products between federal agencies and to ensure they are used before their expiration.

Second, the bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to examine user fee agreements, ensure the SNS products are in working order, and allows agreements with domestic producers to improve the supply chain to refresh and replenish existing stocks.

Third, the bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to report on distributions from the SNS, as well as requests for supplies from State, local, Tribal, and territorial agencies.

Finally, the bill authorizes a pilot program to establish State stockpiles. We must ensure our country is prepared to combat the next health crisis, no matter if it is from a disease, disaster, or terrorism.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation to improve and sustain the Strategic National Stockpile, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson), my colleague, and a primary sponsor of this piece of legislation.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Walorski), a member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I urge support of this piece of legislation.

Fortunately, the last big pandemic that came across the country was in 1918, the flu pandemic, so over 100 years. What we learned, although it was well-planned and all, the Strategic National Stockpile, until you really face a pandemic like we have, you don't truly understand exactly everything you need to do, although the Strategic National Stockpile was there, it was drawn from, it was used. There were a lot of lessons learned.

Madam Speaker, it is important that we apply these lessons. I appreciate my colleagues for doing this, moving forward. Hopefully, it will be another 100 years or more before we have to use the Strategic National Stockpile, but it certainly is prudent that we are ready.

Madam Speaker, I urge the passage of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4032) to provide outreach and technical assistance to small providers regarding the benefits of Open RAN networks, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4032.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4032, the Open RAN Outreach Act.

Open RAN, or Open Radio Access Network, technology is an emerging wireless network architecture that has the potential to drive 5G innovation forward. But like any new technology, we still have much to learn about the possibilities, complexities, and challenges of Open RAN. This is especially true for smaller communications providers.

This bill steps up to the challenge by providing small communications providers with the support they need to

determine whether Open RAN is an appropriate network solution for them. Under the bill, the Assistant Secretary of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA, will be required to engage in outreach and provide technical assistance to small communications providers concerning the uses, benefits, and challenges of Open RAN and other open network architectures.

NTIA will also inquire about the providers' participation in the Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Grant Program, which was established in the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.

Madam Speaker, I commend Representatives Allred, O'Halleran, Guthrie, and Hudson for their bipartisan work on this bill. This is a good bill, as it ensures that our country's small communications providers have the necessary help to make informed decisions about the need for new technology in their wireless networks.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill in a bipartisan manner, and I look forward to its consideration in the Senate. I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Allred).

Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers.

Madam Speaker, in closing, I would ask that Members support this bill that helps our small communications providers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, again, I rise today in support of H.R. 4032, the Open RAN Outreach Act, which was introduced by Representatives Allred, Guthrie, O'Halleran, and Hudson.

Open RAN compatible technology will play an important role as communications networks evolve over the coming decade. While most networks today are limited to integrated systems provided by one or two vendors, the deployment of Open RAN compatible technology will encourage innovation, competition, and new entrants in the communications marketplace.

By encouraging a robust market for Open RAN compatible technology, the cost of trusted equipment is expected to decrease over time. These lower costs will help smaller wireless providers deploy mobile broadband cost effectively without having to turn to untrusted vendors like Huawei.

As small, and often rural, providers upgrade to 5G and replace untrusted Huawei or ZTE equipment, we must keep in mind the difficulty these providers may have in taking advantage of some of the programs offered in Washington.

H.R. 4032 would require NTIA to conduct outreach and technical assistance to these small and rural providers to make sure they have the information necessary if they choose to take advantage of Open RAN compatible technologies.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie).

Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Madam Speaker, I know we had the hearing on Open RAN in committee, and I heard the testimony that day, and how we can expand our networks across the country is absolutely essential. As we know, as we go into the different types of technologies, we are going to need as much as we possibly can, and so this bill is going to help.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the sponsors for bringing it before us today. I urge support of the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.