***Click here to download video. Click here to audio.***
WASHINGTON – At today’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Defense Department’s response to COVID-19, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) thanked the North Dakota National Guard for its response efforts and secured a commitment from the top military leader of the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine efforts to speak with Fargo biotechnology company Aldevron about its ability to assist in response efforts.
“But for our National Guard, I am not sure where many states would have been,” said Senator Cramer. “In North Dakota they are, along with our frontline health care workers, the unsung heroes who brought a level of expertise and logistics that provided efficiency and productivity to everything from standing up temporary hospitals to testing and now to vaccine distribution.”
Shifting to vaccine manufacturing, Senator Cramer spoke to one of the witness, General Gustave Perna, who serves as Chief Operating Officer for the Federal COVID-19 Response for Vaccine and Therapeutics, about the capabilities of Aldevron and the assistance they would like to offer in vaccine manufacturing efforts.
“A lot of the messenger RNA vaccines use raw materials that are developed at Aldevron in Fargo,” said Senator Cramer. “Aldevron is both the most advanced and has the largest capacity of any DNA plasmid company in the world. For several months the company has been trying to get a meaningful meeting with somebody from Operation Warp Speed … I think there’s been a tendency to overlook some of the mid-sized, Midwestern problem solvers.”
Senator Cramer asked the general to commit to reviewing the inquiries made by Aldevron and reaching out to the company about how the help they could provide.
“Senator, you have my commitment,” responded General Perna. “I will personally call and talk.”
After securing this commitment, Senator Cramer concluded his remarks by highlighting the need for the United States to bolster its supply chains.
“Let’s shore up our own supply chains. I want to be a part of that solution.”