The AAMC joined a Nov. 12 letter (PDF) with 111 other organizations and higher education institutions urging congressional leaders to include a comprehensive reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) in a legislative package before the end of the 118th Congress. PAHPA authorizes several critical national health security and preparedness programs. The overall PAHPA framework expired in September 2023, requiring temporary stopgap extensions in continuing resolutions [refer to Washington Highlights, Jan. 19].
The letter encouraged continued bipartisan commitment to PAHPA and expresses concerns about the consequences to health security without its reauthorization. “Failing to reauthorize PAHPA now would have serious effects on our country’s economic wellbeing, national security, and health given the rapidly changing threat landscape,” the letter stated.
The AAMC also joined a Jan. 16 letter urging Congress to include a five-year PAHPA reauthorization package in the next legislative vehicle [refer to Washington Highlights, Jan. 19].