Mr. President, I rise today to introduce an act, co- sponsored by Senator Hagerty, that addresses the importance of foreign affairs training to national security and, more specifically, intends to…
Mr. President, I rise today to introduce an act, co- sponsored
by Senator Hagerty, that addresses the importance of foreign affairs training to national security and, more specifically, intends to improve training and professional development of the Foreign Service officers and civil service staff at the U.S. State Department.
This act calls for the State Department to move beyond its traditional approach towards a more robust professional training program, incorporating innovative education and training courses, methods, and opportunities. Employees of the State Department have a long, honorable tradition of providing excellence in diplomacy, but it is time to modernize the training and professional development they receive, enabling them to more effectively promote our national security interests abroad and ensuring the retention of our best and brightest employees.
The legislation will accomplish the following: provide a more effective and updated training program for employees of the State Department, to include increased virtual instruction that is interactive and more accessible to personnel deployed around the world, as well as increased training provided by partner organizations such as universities, industry entities, and nongovernmental organization, NGOs: establish a Chief Learning Officer position to serve as the principal adviser to the Secretary of State and strategist for State Department training and development; and establish a nonpartisan Board of Visitors to provide independent advice and recommendations regarding training at the Foreign Service Institute.
Other key elements of the legislation include establishment of a clear link between required employee training and promotional opportunities and assignments at the State Department; a ``training float'' strategy that will allow 10 to 15 percent of Foreign Service and civil service officers and staff to participate in training at any given time; a call for the State Department to establish new fellowship programs for Foreign Service and civil service officers and staff in addition to the current Pearson and Brookings Fellowship Programs, allowing them to participate in short- and long-term opportunities at think tanks, nongovernmental organizations, the Department of Defense, industry entities, and relevant university programs; and establishment of a Center for Innovation in Training and a Provost position at the Foreign Service Institute, to evaluate all courses and curriculum offered by FSI and identify necessary updates to meet the frequent changes required by officers due to changing global dynamics.
The Department of State is a crucial national security agency, whose employees, both Foreign Service and civil service, require the best possible training at every stage of their careers to prepare them to promote and defend U.S. national interests and the health and safety of U.S. citizens abroad.
As chair of the Subcommittee on U.S. State Department and USAID Management, International Operations, and Bilateral International Development, along with Ranking Member Senator Hagerty, I have presided over the first two in a planned series of subcommittee hearings on modernization of the State Department. The most recent hearing, held in November of last year, made clear that the numerous studies issued about the State Department's need to change its culture, starting with an innovative training and professional development program, were on the mark.
During the hearing, we heard that ``everything is fine'' at State in terms of training, while the Department's retention rate indicates the loss of experienced Foreign Service officers and civil servants. External witnesses Ambassador David Miller, president of the Diplomatic Studies Foundation, and Joshua Marcuse, who formerly served as the Executive Director of the Defense Innovation Board, painted a very different picture, calling for an overarching effort to change the culture of the State Department--which as one of the oldest Federal Departments is steeped in tradition and protocol--to transform it once again into the lead Agency executing American foreign policy overseas.
The level of challenges the State Department faces now around the world are almost unprecedented, with the return of great power competition, the rise of authoritarianism, the collapse of Afghanistan, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and--not least--assisting American citizens around the world. Professional education and training must be top priorities at the State Department, and we must strengthen the professionalization of our diplomats through a career-long program that focuses on mastery of substantive foreign policy issues, diplomatic expertise, superb customer service for American citizens abroad, and leadership.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave a speech last fall on ``Modernizing American Diplomacy,'' and one of the five pillars he described is that of building and retaining a diverse, dynamic, and entrepreneurial workforce, and empowering and equipping State Department employees to succeed. This bill will kick-start the rebuilding effort Mr. Blinken spoke about, putting the emphasis on training and professional development of the Department's greatest asset: its people.
I remain committed to continuing to work with the Biden administration and my colleagues in Congress to provide every opportunity for State Department employees to receive the best possible training at every stage of their careers, to prepare them to promote and defend U.S. national interests and the health and safety of U.S. citizens abroad.
Mr. President, I rise today to highlight legislation I am introducing with the senior Senator from Maine, Ms. Collins, to address prescription drug shortages. We rely on prescription drugs to battle infectious diseases like SARS-CoV-2, for the treatment of cancer and hormonal disorders and in countless other facets of modern medicine. When drug shortages, which are unforeseen supply disruptions, occur, healthcare teams must scramble to develop new plans of care because the optimal treatment is no longer available. The Drug Shortages Shelf Life Extension Act will help tackle drug shortages by enabling the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, to extend the shelf of certain drugs at risk of shortage in a safe fashion.
Prescription drug shortages are a persistent problem, leading to diminished access to vital medications and potentially catastrophic outcomes for patients. FDA wrote in its 2019 Drug Shortages Task Force Report that discarding drugs if they exceed an unnecessarily short expiration date can exacerbate drug shortages. Essentially, the shelf life for certain drugs can be safely extended, and I support empowering authorities to do so to prevent drug shortages.
Last year, I introduced the Drug Shortages Prevention & Quality Improvement Act. The legislation would address some of the main causes of drug shortages and provide solutions to mitigate their effects. The legislation would give the FDA additional tools to mitigate drug shortages, such as extending shelf lives for certain essential drugs. This legislation also seeks to address prescription drug shortages by creating incentives for manufacturers to upgrade their facilities to prevent shortages. Some of the facilities FDA has tied to drug shortages have been operating continually since the 1960s with minimal upgrades to manufacturing lines and facilities. The FDA Drug Shortages Task Force report found that quality concerns caused 62 percent of drug shortages from 2013 to 2017.
Last April, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, HELP, Committee Chair Murray and Ranking Member Burr announced plans to develop a bipartisan initiative to prepare the Nation for future public health emergencies in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. I applaud this effort to modernize our national response efforts for the current pandemic and future pandemics and look forward to consideration of this legislation on the floor of the Senate. I was particularly pleased to see language included in the HELP Committee's discussion draft for this preparedness initiative from the Drug Shortages Shelf Life Extension Act. Extending shelf lives of certain
drugs is not only critical to prevent drug shortages but also to enable our prescription drug supply chain to be more responsive and better prepared to respond to public health emergencies.
Domestically, we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. We are nearing record-high hospitalizations due to COVID-19, including record- high levels for children. In my State of Maryland, we have encountered a new record-high hospitalization level every day since December 29. For many patients, the severity and mortality rates are lower due to higher vaccination levels and better treatments gleaned from our experience in battling COVID-19 so far, but these high hospitalization rates are straining an already overburdened system.
As we continue fighting the pandemic, in addition to other diseases and illnesses, timely access to medications is essential for our healthcare providers and their patients. The Drug Shortages Shelf Life Extension Act would require FDA to update guidance tied to manufacturer testing of the shelf life of prescription drug and to report to Congress on actions taken to update the shelf life dates of relevant drugs. Shelf life expiration dates are established through regulations governing prescription drug stability testing, which need to be reexamined since they have not been amended since 1981. I look forward to working with the Biden administration as it implements this essential legislation and related regulations.
I urge my colleagues to join Senator Collins and me in support of the Drug Shortages Shelf Life Extension Act to improve access to essential prescription drugs and to prevent or mitigate future drug shortages. No one should have to go without essential prescriptions drugs when usable supplies are available but have potentially inaccurate use-by dates stamped on their box or bottle.
