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WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko sent a letter today to the CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna—ahead of an upcoming Oversight & Investigation Subcommittee hearing on expanding availability of COVID-19 vaccines next week—to formally request information and guidance on why emergency production and distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations are not moving faster and what Congress and the federal government could do to remove barriers and quickly drive up vaccination rates across the Capital Region and nation.

“With the emergence of dangerous new COVID variants, our nation continues to reach chilling new heights in this public health crisis,” Tonko writes. “New York’s large population of vaccine-eligible individuals and our established network of vaccination sites that are fully prepared to administer the shots at a rapid pace continue to surpass the state’s supply of vaccines. We are positioned to make the most of any increase in supply, and I am prepared to do whatever it takes to help accelerate vaccine production and significantly expand distribution in my home district and across the nation.”

Tonko has long championed the effort to facilitate a federally funded COVID rescue plan with strong investments in vaccine development and distribution. Earlier this month during a House subcommittee hearing, he questioned state public health officials on challenges facing states and solutions on how to expand and accelerate the current process of vaccinating Americans.

The full letters to Pfizer and Moderna read as follows:

February 17, 2021

Albert Bourla, DVM, Ph.D.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer
235 East 42^nd Street
New York, NY 10017

Dear Dr. Bourla,

Stéphane Bancel
Chief Executive Officer, Moderna
Global Headquarters
200 Technology Square
Cambridge, MA 02139

Dear Mr. Bancel,

I write on behalf of my constituents in the Capital Region of New York to request your help as we work in Congress to maximize the rapid production and distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States. In this pursuit, I would welcome your suggestions on how Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration can best support your efforts to quickly scale up production of safe, reliable COVID-19 vaccines across the nation.

With the emergence of dangerous new COVID variants, our nation continues to reach chilling new heights in this public health crisis. In recent weeks, my district in Upstate New York had been tracking more COVID-19 cases and recording more weekly deaths than at any time before, and our rate of spread continues to outpace the rate of vaccinations.[1] Ten million New Yorkers are currently eligible to be vaccinated, far more than my state’s weekly allowance of these life-saving vaccines.[2] New York hospitals, local health departments, and other community organizations and providers, collectively prepared to administer vaccines to the public at a much faster speed, have requested additional doses and have been denied week after week. Meanwhile, a quarter of our hospital staff across the state have yet to be vaccinated.[3]

New York’s large population of vaccine-eligible individuals and our established network of vaccination sites that are fully prepared to administer the shots at a rapid pace continue to surpass the state’s supply of vaccines. We are positioned to make the most of any increase in supply, and I am prepared to do whatever it takes to help accelerate vaccine production and significantly expand distribution in my home district and across the nation.

As I discuss possible solutions to this critical shortfall with my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives, I would appreciate your prompt response to the following questions:

• What are the primary factors or pain points limiting production of COVID-19 vaccines?
• Are your operations experiencing a shortage of raw materials needed for vaccine production? A shortage of human labor? A shortage of transportation vehicles or other logistics resources? A shortage of funding?
• Has your company experienced challenges in activating federal resources available through the Defense Production Act?
• How could Congress or the federal government better support, establish or expand public-private partnerships to accelerate the production of COVID-19 vaccinations?
• Do you foresee any challenges in meeting the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal to increase the COVID-19 vaccine supply by 20 percent over the next three weeks? What will you need to increase supply more quickly?
• Are there other areas where the federal government or states could provide further assistance to companies producing COVID-19 vaccinations?

As a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, I am monitoring this situation closely. As an engineer, I understand the challenges of increasing production efficiency to meet the demands of this national crisis. I greatly appreciate your efforts to help see our country through this critical time. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

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