“Our researchers, our scientists, our doctors are making record progress on a vaccine. We’re calling this effort Operation Warp Speed.”

Click here to watch Sen. Barrasso’s remarks.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) spoke on the Senate floor about successful efforts to get Americans back to work. He also talked about Operation Warp Speed, an expedited public-private partnership between the U.S. government and private companies to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus.

Excerpts of Senator Barrasso’s remarks:

“I come to the floor today having just heard the Senator from Vermont talking about the nation and its effort to recover from the coronavirus crisis, the economic crisis as a result, and other important issues affecting our country.

“I heard him say we have not done enough and need to do more, specifically with an economic recovery, with a coronavirus recovery, and it sounded almost like a liberal wish list of the government providing for food, clothing, shelter and income for every American.

“I come to the floor today to tell you what we have done, in a historic way.

“Because in March we passed the largest economic rescue package in the history of this country, trillions and trillions of dollars. This Senate and the House and the White House went all-in to respond to and help us as a nation recover from the coronavirus crisis.

“Last week, the Senate passed and the president signed another bipartisan bill to help our small businesses across the country. It’s the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act.

“That’s what the people in Wyoming were asking for in this very successful Paycheck Protection Plan – flexibility, so it would be easier for our small businesses to use the relief funds.

“11 thousand business in Wyoming took over one billion dollars in loans, and it is keeping our economy alive. It is life breath into the economy and allowing paychecks to continue to be paid as business reopen.

“All across the country this job-saving effort is working because last month the U.S. economy added 2.5 million jobs. It smashed all expectations. It was the largest single month of job growth in this nation in the history of our great country.

“Americans literally ran out the front door and back to work.

“Unemployment was down in May. It defied all of the forecasts and defied what we just heard the Senator from Vermont talking about what his expectations had been.

“We are headed for a faster economic rebound than anyone has imagined.

“Across the country, the state lockdowns have been ending. States have started to safely reopen. Small businesses are opening. People are going back to work.

“Yet I thought I heard the Senator from Vermont say he was thinking half of all of the small business in America wouldn’t be able to reopen again ever.

“Young people are going to be going back to school. K-12 schools and colleges are planning to reopen this fall.

“Of course, I do not think any of us were surprised to see the University of California system say they are going to stay closed until 2021, until next year. All ten campuses because in California one-size-fits all.

“But for the rest of our nation, the schools and the colleges are reopening. Students will be heading back to campus.

“There is a return to normal routines. It’s going to boost our communities.

“As the American recovery begins, we are going all-in to keep people safe.

“That means more virus testing, more treatment, better treatment and vaccines.

“Innovations are rapidly expanding testing.

“The country has now performed more than 22 million coronavirus tests. Nearly half-a-million tests are done every day, including today.

“Our researchers, our scientists, our doctors are making record progress on a vaccine.

“We’re calling this effort Operation Warp Speed.

“It is a public-private partnership with companies producing a vaccine for the American people that will then be used around the world. The private-sector finalists will soon be announced.

“The government will support their vaccine work, will assist with clinical trials and will prioritize review of the most promising vaccines.

“One of the companies, called Moderna, is in Phase 2 trials and plans to start Phase 3 in July, with Food and Drug Administration approval as then the final step.

“Another company, AstraZeneca, plans to hold combined Phase 2 and 3 trials over the next few months.

“AstraZeneca just announced a new partnership with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. So our military is joining in this public-private partnership.

“This project may deliver emergency vaccines as early as October, which would certainly be record breaking.

“The pharmaceutical company Merck will conduct trials in July. Johnson & Johnson plans Phase 1 and 2 trials for July as well. Pfizer hopes to have a vaccine ready by October. The goal is to make a safe, effective vaccine and make it available to all Americans by January 2021.

“Operation Warp Speed partners want to beat this, and they want to make that their most ambitious goal. Beating timelines that have never been beaten before. Breaking the records.

“At the same time, a number of other companies are pursuing a vaccine independently.

“America’s researchers, scientists, doctors have dropped everything and are working in overdrive. They have gone all-in.

“One major drug company CEO said yesterday that there would be no ‘huge price’ for the coronavirus vaccine.

“Every company should make that same pledge.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for companies to do the right thing—to make the vaccine as accessible as any vaccine in the history of our nation.

“The goal as we begin to recover from this crisis is clear, and it has been clear: We want to keep Americans safe and get them back to work.

“Together, that’s what we must all endeavor to do.”

###