David Obey and Flu-fighting Stimulus Money

From the Washington Times:

Congress over the past four years has trimmed spending aimed at fighting a flu pandemic, most recently in this year's stimulus bill, when a key House Democrat tried but failed to get his colleagues to include hundreds of millions of dollars.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey, Wisconsin Democrat, said he included $420 million in flu-fighting money in the House version of the stimulus bill, but senators objected and he was forced to pull the allocation when the final bill passed in February.

"Whether or not this influenza strain turns out to have pandemic potential, sooner or later some strain will," Mr. Obey said. "We are not prepared today. Lets hope we dont need to be. Because we need to become prepared as soon as possible, I intend to again request additional funds in the upcoming supplemental."

The outbreak of swine flu has fostered a search for where to place blame. Although Mr. Obey didn't name names, liberal blogs have been particularly harsh toward Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican, who during the stimulus debate touted her opposition to flu-fighting money. She was one of three Republicans who voted for the stimulus bill, and did so after the flu funds and some other provisions were removed.

The senator's spokesman said Miss Collins does want increased funding for flu preparedness, though she wanted it to be part of the annual spending process, not the one-time jobs-creation package.

"And, in fact, the omnibus appropriations bill that was signed into law in March, less than a month after the stimulus bill, contains $156 million for pandemic influenza research, which is $1.4 million more than the fiscal year 2008 level," said Collins spokesman Kevin Kelley.

It's self-serving on Obey's part to put out the word that he had the foresight to include $420 million in flu-fighting money in the House version of the stimulus bill.

Dems, like Obey, are looking to blame Republicans and score political points on a potential public health crisis. That's rather sleazy, but expected.

I won't carry water for Collins, but her claim that she supported flu preparedness funds, just not as part of the stimulus bill, makes sense. She shouldn't be a scapegoat for the country's lack of readiness to deal with a pandemic.

Four years ago, when doctors sounded similar warnings about the avian flu, President Bush pushed for more than $7 billion in fiscal 2006 to produce vaccines and pay for states to prepare readiness plans. The Republican-controlled Congress appropriated only half that money the first year, prompting a sober warning from the administration.

"We are in a race. We are in a race against a fast-moving, virulent virus with the potential to cause an influenza pandemic," said Michael O. Leavitt, the health and human services secretary at the time.

President Bush deserves credit for his efforts to prepare the country. He did the right thing.

...As the bird-flu threat receded, so did Congress' willingness to spend, under both Republican and Democratic control.

Funding was reduced despite health specialists' calls for a continued stream of money to help the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health and Human Services Department and other agencies prepare for an outbreak.

Of all the wasteful spending by government, all the pork and pet projects, it's incredibly irresponsible for Congress to have inadequately funded preparations for a pandemic.

Let it be understood: Blame cannot be placed on President Bush.
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Read more about Bush's Flu Pandemic Plan.