President Clinton has made defending the United States against
chemical and biological weapons a top national security priority. The
possibility that outlaw nations and terrorist groups will seek to use
these weapons represents one of the greatest threats to American
security in the 21st century. The Administration has sought to defend
against these threats through diplomatic and military means abroad and
through increased preparedness at home. In his Fiscal Year 2000 budget
-- which includes $10 billion to defend against terrorism and weapons
of mass destruction -- President Clinton will propose major increases
in funding to strengthen America's defenses against the threat of
biological and chemical weapons.
- Vaccine Research and Development -- The Department of Health and
Human Services will receive an additional $43.4 million for research
and development to defend against biological weapons -- almost a 150%
increase. The bulk of it -- $30 million -- will go to research on new
vaccines, including vaccines for smallpox and anthrax for eventual use
in the national medical stockpile. The Food and Drug Administration
will receive $13.4 million for enhanced regulatory review of vaccines
and therapeutics. In addition, the National Institutes of Health will
receive $24 million for research on diagnostics, vaccines,
antimicrobials and genomic research.
- Public Health Surveillance -- President Clinton will propose that
funding for improvements in the public health surveillance system and
public health infrastructure increase by 22% to $86 million. This will
translate into increased lab capacity, strengthened epidemological
capabilities for state and local health departments and more resources
for communications and information technology. The Center for Disease
Control will create a network of regional labs to provide rapid
analysis and identification of select biological agents.
- Metropolitan Medical Response Systems -- President Clinton will
propose increasing funding by almost 400% to more than $16 million for
Metropolitan Medical Response Systems. These local emergency medical
teams will respond to a biological or chemical weapons emergency.
Twenty-five new such teams will be funded.
President Clinton's new initiatives build upon a record of
accomplishment in confronting the dangers of emerging threats at home
and abroad.
Beginning in fiscal 1997, the Administration began funding a
five-year effort to equip and train first responders in the 120 largest
metropolitan areas in the nation.
Last year, the President proposed and Congress approved of more
than $300 million in additional funds for weapons of mass destruction
preparedness. Among the initiatives begun were the renovation of the
public health surveillance system so medical personnel can detect a
biological weapons release early and save lives. This appropriation
also went to establish the first ever civilian medical stockpile, which will
contain necessary medication to treat those exposed to biological or
chemical weapons. Funding levels for the medical stockpile will be
maintained in the President's FY2000 budget.
The United States led international efforts to ratify the Chemical
Weapons Convention, which we signed in 1997, and American diplomats are
currently working to strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention.
The Clinton Administration has also pursued cooperative programs
and activities aimed at reducing the threat of proliferation of
biological weapons expertise with nations of the former Soviet Union,
spending $30 million in these areas during the last five years. The
President's budget proposal seeks more than $150 million to expand
these efforts over the next five years.
Through military action against production facilities for weapons
of mass destruction in Iraq and Sudan, the United States has acted to
degrade and eliminate the ability of these two nations to build weapons
of mass destruction and supply them to terrorists.
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