Past Issue
Vol. 5, No. 4
July–August
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Past Issues
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Special Issue
View from the Hill: Congressional Efforts to Address Bioterrorism
S. Anthony McCann
U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., USA
In government—and particularly in the federal government—ideas normally come
from the bottom up. When finally approved, proposals are reasonably well thought out in
terms of what we are going to do and why we are going to do it. Sometimes knowledge of
"what" we are going to do far exceeds the ability to explain why we are going to
do it. However, for bioterrorism we are better able to talk about the "why" than
the "what." When Congress received a request from the administration to address
bioterrorism, we had only the vaguest idea what they wanted to do. As a result, the
availability of funds was delayed until an operating plan was in place. We are still
fleshing out exactly how to approach this problem, what the roles of the various agencies
are, and what the legal issues are.
It is incumbent upon the community to spend more time studying the proposal and coming
back to Congress with more detail.
As the scientific community examines the issues involved in bioterrorism, an education
campaign should be undertaken to inform the public and the members of Congress at the
local and national levels. Many people equate bioterrorism with chemical or explosive
accidents that are obvious and identifiable. The insidious nature of bioterrorist attacks
should be better explored and communicated.
Finally, over the last 20 or 25 years, efforts to bring about structural reform in
state and local governments and in local public health departments have eroded. Efforts by
Congress to fund the bioterrorism initiative may have a dual effect: they may not only
improve our ability to respond to a bioterrorist incident but also may strengthen state
and local health departments.
S. Anthony McCann is Staff Director for the House Appropriations Subcommittee handling
the budgets for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. In
this capacity, Mr. McCann provides support and makes policy recommendations to the
Chairman and majority members for over $70 billion in discretionary programs under the
subcommittee's jurisdiction. Mr. McCann also served under the Bush Administration as
Assistant Secretary for Finance and IRM and Chief Financial Officer of the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
Address for correspondence: S. Anthony McCann, U.S. House of Representatives,
Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and
Related Agencies, 2358 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515-6024, USA;
fax: 202-225-3509.
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