Only 3 Congressmen Showed Up for Hearing on World's Most Dangerous Infectious Disease - Huff Post:

[Stuart G]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/drug-resistant-tuberculosis-hearing_566768d1e4b0f290e52110ac

Lauren Weber
12/09/2015 05:15 pm ET

Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was there. Dr. Eric Goosby, the United Nations envoy for tuberculosis, was there. Dr. Ariel Pablo-Mendez, the U.S. Agency for International Development's assistant administrator for global health, was there.

Missing? Congress.

Just three lawmakers showed up Tuesday for a subcommittee briefing on the growing threat of drug-resistant tuberculosis. They were Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who chairs the panel, and Reps. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) and Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.).

Hearings on the most recent Ebola outbreak, which also included testimony from Frieden, were packed with politicians and press last fall. That outbreak is estimated to have killed more than 11,000 people over the last two years. Tuberculosis kills over 4,100 people a day -- it's the No. 1 infectious killer in the world -- but just two other congressmen and one reporter attended Smith's hearing.

The briefing highlighted the growing threat of drug-resistant tuberculosis -- in particular, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, which is resistant to two of the frontline drugs used to combat TB. An estimated 480,000 people around the world developed the deadly MDR-TB in 2014, and its cure rate hovers under 50 percent.

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I guess The House of Representatives is just too busy with other important matters than deal with the world's most dangerous infectious disease.
Oh, and guess what? ..Ami Bera (D-Calif) is a medical doctor, (he showed up) who put himself through school, and also, first generation citizen whose parents are from, India. He represent the Sacramento California area.==a very diverse area. Dr Bera also served on the faculty of the University of California at Davis medical school . So, what about that ?..A couple come to the U.S.A and has a child who becomes a member of Congress, a medical doctor, and a teacher....and he shows up for work, when other Congressmen don't.

[napi21]

1. I tried to find out when this hearing was scheduled, but couldn't find the info.

U was prepared to send an email to my Rep. and ask where the hell he was? But U can't very well ask where he was if I can't say the when & where.

[Stuart G]

2. I have been trying to find out who else was on that committee, but I cannot find that info either..

But, 2 of us Dems, and the chairman a Republican, showed up...not very important I guess..

[Jim Lane]

4. Hearing info and subcommittee membership

It was a hearing of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, a subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. It was held on the afternoon of December 8, 2015. It ran just short of two hours and you can watch the video of it here.

Committee roster:

Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Chairman

MAJORITY MEMBERS
Rep. Mark Meadows (NC)
Rep. Curt Clawson (FL)
Rep. Scott Desjarlais (TN)
Rep. Daniel Donovan (NY)

MINORITY MEMBERS
Rep. Karen Bass (CA), Ranking Member
Rep. David Cicilline (RI)
Rep. Ami Bera (CA)


According to the OP, Eliot Engel was there even though he's not a Subcommittee member. I guess he thought that, as a Member of Congress, he ought to inform himself about an important public issue. What a concept.

[BlueJazz]

3. The other politicians found out that the press was going to be sparse, they wouldn't make any money

...off of it, their careers were not going to soar, plus the go-go dancers cancelled...So why go? For the public? Ha!, you gotta' be kidding.

[napi21]

5. Even though it was a sub committee hearing, don't other members of congress still have a right

to attend if they find the subject important? Or are others supposed to keep everyone informed through speaking on the house floor?

[BlueJazz]

6. You would think so. I've read about this new strain and it's damn scary.