SHAHEEN INTRODUCES AMENDMENT CALLING FOR ACCOUNTABILITY ON MISTAKEN ANTHRAX SHIPMENTS

WASHINGTON, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) today introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that calls for accountability from the Department of Defense on the recent disclosure that the military mistakenly shipped live anthrax to a minimum of 28 laboratories located in at least 12 states and 3 countries over a course of eight years or more.

“With the scope of this problem still unknown and the high likelihood that there are still packages unaccounted for, this mind boggling mistake still has the potential to do serious harm,” said Shaheen. “It’s very important that there’s a thorough investigation as well as regular assessments to prevent this from ever happening again.”

The amendment calls on the Department of Defense to continue to investigate the cause of the incident, to reassess standards on a regular basis to prevent a reoccurrence, and to keep the relevant congressional committees up-to-date on the investigation.

Senator Shaheen is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, as well as the Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security.

Full text of the amendment can be found here.