Thank you, Mr. President. Let me begin by thanking our colleague, Senator Kennedy, from Massachusetts. He’s very busy and has a lot on his agenda. He has very graciously agreed to let me speak for a few minutes before giving his own remarks. I also want to commend Senator Harkin, our colleague from Iowa and our Minority Leader, Senator Harry Reid for putting this pressing issue squarely on the national agenda.

The issue of avian flu is one of the critically important issues of our time. Second only to the potential for the existence of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of suicidal terrorists, this issue has the potential to be catastrophic to the national security interests of this country. I can’t imagine a more timely issue or one more appropriate to be brought up on this piece of legislation than something that would protect the American people who are currently dreadfully exposed from the possibility of a global pandemic.

We need a new sense of urgency in addressing this, Mr. President. People have died because of avian influenza. 115 have contracted it in Asia. 59 of those people have died. Leading experts say it is only a matter of time before this deadly disease becomes more efficient in moving from person to person. We should not await that dreadful day, but act proactively to protect the national security interests, the health interests, of the people of the United States of America. Previous influenza epidemics have been catastrophic, killing not hundreds of thousands, but millions of human beings. We cannot afford to wait for that kind of event to occur. We are currently woefully unprepared.

The estimates are that we have in our stockpiles only enough vaccine to cover about 1 percent of the American people. There are about 2.3 million doses of Tamiflu and about two million doses of an experimental pandemic flu vaccine in our stockpile. And another antiviral may have been compromised by the Chinese use within their poultry population, thereby imperiling its efficacy.

We are way behind the curve in terms of preparing for a potential outbreak of a pandemic of this severity and potential magnitude. Other developed nations, Mr. President, are way ahead of us in terms of compiling their stockpiles and preparing their public health agencies for a rapid response to this grave health threat.

The final thing I would say, Mr. President, is that I think more than anything else, the lesson of Hurricane Katrina has taught us this: when it is a matter of life and death for the American people - a matter of life and death - you better prepare for the worst, as you hope for the best. Because then, Mr. President, one of two things will happen. If the worst occurs, you are prepared to protect the life, the security and the safety of those who place their confidence in us. That’s the very least they should expect from their government. If the worst does not happen, then we will be pleasantly surprised.

When it comes to dealing with avian influenza, let us not have a repeat of the mistakes of Hurricane Katrina. Let us be prepared so that we may protect our citizens or so that we may be pleasantly surprised. That is what government is all about. That is why I’m pleased to be a cosponsor of the Harkin amendment and to thank our leader, Harry Reid, and once again, Senator Kennedy, for a lifetime of leadership on these issues and for his courtesy to me today. Thank you, Mr. President.