July 15, 2026
Media Contact:
press@allianceforbiosecurity.com
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Alliance for Biosecurity today welcomed the Senate HELP Committee’s nominations hearing for Sean Kaufman to lead the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), and Dr. Erica Schwartz to serve as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Following the hearing, Alliance for Biosecurity Co-Chair, and SVP for Global Government Affairs at Emergent BioSolutions, Chris Frech issued the following statement:
“Today’s hearing is an important step toward securing America’s public health and national security capabilities. Senate-confirmed leadership at ASPR and CDC, supported by close coordination across the federal government and continuity throughout the medical countermeasure enterprise, is critical to sustaining the capabilities necessary to protect our warfighters and the American people.
The partnership between the federal government and domestic industry is what makes national readiness real. Many essential medical countermeasures have no commercial market and exist only because of sustained federal investment and durable public-private partnerships. Those partnerships drive innovation, strengthen the domestic industrial base and supply chains, and ensure that lifesaving products are on the shelf before a crisis, not after one.
Strong leadership and close coordination across government and industry will help ensure that America remains prepared, resilient and capable of acting quickly and effectively before, during and after a crisis. We urge the Committee to report both nominees promptly and the full Senate to confirm them without delay.
In advance of Wednesday’s hearing, the Alliance for Biosecurity submitted a formal letter of support for the confirmation of Mr. Kaufman and Dr. Schwartz. View the letter here.
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The Alliance is a coalition of biopharmaceutical companies and laboratory/academic partners that promotes a strong public-private partnership to ensure MCMs are available to protect public health and enhance national health security. The Alliance advocates for public policies and funding to support the rapid development, production, stockpiling, and distribution of critically needed MCMs. For more information on the Alliance’s activity and industry resources, visit our website at allianceforbiosecurity.com.
