Letter to the editor: Why didn't Biden take action on pandemic preparation?

In 2005, President George W. Bush warned our nation of the danger of a pandemic — either manmade or natural. He had read about the Spanish flu pandemic and it terrified him.

Bush asked Congress for $7.1 billion to initiate an anti-pandemic federal agency to prepare our nation. Congress cut the funding to $2.3 billion when the agency was established through Senate Bill 1821 in 2006. Joe Biden co-sponsored the bill.

Biden took office as vice president in January 2009. He had eight years to show leadership and develop that agency; to initiate research into dealing with pandemic viruses; to stockpile the necessary equipment — ventilators, masks, etc.; and establish a federal/state coordination structure.

What did Biden do during those eight years to prepare our nation for a pandemic after co-sponsoring the original legislation? What did that agency accomplish that Biden helped form? Who ran it? Was any additional funding added? What happened to the original $3 billion? Donald Trump was not in government during those eight years.

Now candidate Biden blames President Trump for his “failures” when the pandemic struck our nation. But Trump, and more importantly our nation, would not have been so blindsided by the covid-19 pandemic if Biden hadn’t dropped the ball and failed miserably to advance the anti-pandemic government program during his eight years as vice president.

Bob Logue

Fairbank