Trone, Van Hollen, Cardin, Ruppersberger, and Raskin Meet with DOD and Army Civilian Leadership to Discuss USAMRIID, USAMRICD
For Immediate Release
CONTACT:
Hannah Muldavin (Trone) – (202) 225-2721
Francesca Amodeo (Van Hollen) – (202) 228-0672
Sue Walitsky (Cardin) – (202) 224-4524
Jaime Lennon (Ruppersberger) – (410) 628-2701
Samantha Brown (Raskin) – (202) 225-5341
Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone, Ruppersberger, and Raskin Meet with DOD and Army Civilian Leadership to Discuss USAMRIID, USAMRICD
WASHINGTON — Yesterday, U.S. Congressman David Trone along with U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin as well as U.S. Representatives Dutch Ruppersberger, and Jamie Raskin (all D-Md.) met with Department of Defense and Army Futures Command civilian leadership to discuss USAMRIID at Fort Detrick and USAMRICD at Aberdeen Proving Ground. Upon learning that the Department of Defense had been withholding funds from the two research facilities earlier this year, the Members wrote a letter seeking more information and the release of the funds. The Members met today to reiterate their support for the two facilities and to receive more information on the current situation. During the meeting, the Members discussed the crucial work taking place at both research facilities, including the current role of the labs in combatting the coronavirus.
“Yesterday, we had the opportunity to meet with Department of Defense and Army Futures Command civilian leadership to discuss USAMRIID at Fort Detrick and USAMRICD at Aberdeen Proving Ground. During the meeting, we once again stressed the need for transparency and communication between the Defense Department, the Army, and our Congressional delegation. These labs are national assets and serve a crucial role in our pandemic surveillance, monitoring, and response capacity. We urge the Department of Defense and the Army to continue working together to address outstanding concerns while ensuring that the critical work being done at the labs continues without further interruption. We wholly support the missions of USAMRIID and USAMRICD, and we will keep monitoring this issue closely until it is resolved.”
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