Congress to Examine Swine Flu Response

Both the House and Senate have scheduled hearings this week to examine the appropriate federal response to the swine flu outbreak, which thus far has been limited to just a handful of cases in the United States.

The Senate hearing, called by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who chairs the Appropriations Committee’s subpanel on health and education, is slated for Tuesday afternoon, featuring testimony by:

Rear Admiral Anne Schuchat, interim deputy director for the Science and Public Health Program at the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Paul Jarris, executive director of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

In the House, the Energy and Commerce health subcommittee will meet Thursday morning on the same topic, though witnesses have yet to be announced.