COVID-19 has shown us that a threat anywhere is a threat everywhere, and it has shown us that early efforts in R&D pay incredible dividends when it comes to being able to combat a new disease. Hi, Rice today as a doctor, public health representative, is one of the leading voices in Congress in global health innovation. He is a major proponent of strengthening investment in global health security. He is a founding member of the bipartisan global health R&D Congressional Working Group. He's also co-chair of the House Tuberculosis Elimination Caucus. He has really worked with his congressional colleagues to make sure that critical global health programs have the funding they need to protect us. In 2018, the Trump administration proposed cutting Ebola funds that were financing global health security programming. Representative Barra was the first person to stand up and say, no, this isn't okay, you're going to pull the rug out from under global public health. He wrote in a letter to his colleagues that cutting these vital funds is short-sighted and put the American lives in danger. And so he formed a coalition to keep those funds intact to repurpose them for global health needs. When COVID-19 emerged, Representative Barra called me, trying to understand what was coming and what we should do, sounding the early alarm bells on the need for the U.S. to engage. This is quite concerning right now. Congressman Barra recognized the threat and called for the first governmental hearing on what is now the COVID-19 pandemic. He's also advocated for passage of the SAFE, which would authorize U.S. government funding for the coalition for epidemic preparedness innovations so that it can continue its important work on vaccine development for potentially epidemic diseases of the future. We need to keep politics out of this. I can't think of a person more deserving of the Congressional Champion Award than Congressman Barra. He has really tried to push the Congress to do more. He personifies congressional leadership in global health and he understands the issues technically. He's seen the issues firsthand and he understands as a doctor, the impact on people's lives. We are so grateful for his leadership and expect it to continue for a long time.