By Brian Babin As medical professionals and members of Congress, we have serious concern over the global spread of the novel coronavirus or COVID-19. Since the disease emerged in Wuhan, China, widespread outbreaks have occurred in South Korea, Iran, Italy and Japan. The number of cases in the United States continues to increase and will likely increase substantially as widespread testing begins. This isn't our first experience dealing with an epidemic, and as medical professionals, we believe the U.S. is prepared to effectively combat the virus. As is being widely reported, good hygiene will help combat the community spread of this virus. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth if you haven't washed your hands. Avoid handshakes and, instead, try to bump elbows. Sneeze into a tissue or your elbow. Stay home if you're ill. Disinfect commonly touched surfaces. Postpone travel. Stay home as much as possible and avoid publicly congregating in order to flatten the curve and protect everyone, particularly the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. These are all commonsense measures to help prevent more widespread transmission. However, good hygiene isn't enough. This pandemic has been compared to influenza, both in terms of the virus' spread and symptoms. But there are key differences. Most significantly, we haven't yet developed medications or vaccines to fight this disease. Most Americans today consider the spread of the flu as potentially dangerous, yet manageable. The flu impacted 35 million Americans last year, causing over 490,000 hospitalizations and over 34,000 deaths. Without medicine or a vaccine, coronavirus has the potential to be more widespread and deadly than the flu. That's why we must take this threat seriously. Most individuals who contract COVID-19 will have mild to severe symptoms that resemble a cold or flu and will recover. However, a significant number will also require hospitalization. If these hospitalizations occur rapidly, it has the potential to overwhelm our hospitals. For instance, emergency room visits or necessary cancer care may be disrupted if our system is overcapacity. Therefore, we must limit the spread. Congress provided $8.3 billion in emergency funding to prepare for this epidemic. This funding will greatly expand the availability of test kits that are vital in our efforts to stop this illness. We can't fight the disease if we don't know where it is and who has it. Testing availability is expanding rapidly. Funding will also ensure our public health departments have resources to set priorities locally and will help develop vaccines and treatments to combat this disease. It is amazing that, in under two months, private companies already are developing vaccines -- a process that typically takes years -- with one already in the beginning trials of human testing. Yet, it may still take a year to bring a safe and effective vaccine to the public. Businesses and community institutions can also help reduce the rapid spread of the virus. For those staying open, easy steps include encouraging people to wash their hands; ensuring access to hand sanitizer; and sanitizing work areas and tools frequently. Businesses and organizers of sporting events and concerts should think about postponing or canceling large events -- if they have not already. Churches and civic clubs should discourage close-quarter contact or consider broadcasting services online. Businesses that allow telework should proactively encourage it and any schools that are still open should plan for closures. We are better prepared today for the COVID-19 outbreak because of the lessons we learned and incorporated from previous pandemics. In June 2019, President Trump signed the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act, which reauthorized public health and preparedness and response programs to give our health officials tools they need to quickly and effectively respond to an emergency. In addition, Congress substantially increased funding for key public health government agencies over the last five years. But more will still need to be done. This is a rapidly changing situation, so check in with health officials frequently for situational updates. With all the challenges associated with a pandemic, there is no country more capable to manage a health crisis than the United States of America. The authors are members of the GOP Doctors Caucus, which is composed of medical providers in Congress who utilize their medical expertise to develop patient-centered health care policy: Phil Roe, who represents Tennessee's First District; Andy Harris, who represents Maryland's First District; Buddy Carter, who represents Georgia's First District; Roger Marshall, who represents Kansas' First District; Scott DeJarlais, who represents Tennessee's Fourth District; Greg Murphy, who represents North Carolina's Third District; Brad Wenstrup, who represents Ohio's Second District; Brian Babin, who represents Texas' 36th District; Drew Ferguson, who represents Georgia's Third District; and John Joyce, who represents Pennsylvania's 13th District.

By Rep. Phil Roe Every year on November 11th, Americans pay tribute to the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. While Veterans Day was deemed a national day of remembrance by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, it was not always widely acknowledged and celebrated, and neither were veterans. I was drafted into the 2nd Infantry Division's Army Medical Corps in 1971 and spent two years stationed in South Korea, near the Korean Demilitarized Zone. When I was preparing to come home in 1974, I was warned not to wear my uniform on the plane because it wouldn't be well-received when I landed back in the country whose name I had proudly worn. Many who served then were "welcomed' home by protests and backlash. Our service, and the sacrifices that that service necessitated, had seemingly gone unnoticed and unappreciated. I don't remember my first Veterans Day after leaving the Army but, as a physician-in-training at the time, I imagine that I spent it on call at the hospital. I don't remember many Veterans Days after that either when I was consumed by the everyday concerns of raising a family and building a career. Coaching my son's soccer team, attending my daughter's dance recitals, and starting my medical practice didn't leave much time for reflection on my service or on anyone else's. It is only with age that I have come to realize and truly understand the significance of the sacrifices that veterans made, which allowed me the freedom to go to those soccer matches and dance recitals and spend three decades in medicine. A veteran left their blood in some foreign country so that I, and every American, could live freely and even unwittingly take our freedoms for granted. The saying "freedom isn't free" is cliché but true; veterans paid a high price for it and we all reap the reward for their efforts. "It is only with age that I have come to realize and truly understand the significance of the sacrifices that veterans made." The debt that we owe in return is one we will never be able to repay, though the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs strives to every day. I have served on the Committee since coming to Congress in 2009 and was honored to be selected by my fellow Republicans to serve as Chairman in 2017 and Ranking Member in 2019. There is nothing I take more seriously than the privilege of serving veterans through our work on the Committee, and I have great pride in what we have done to address the issues that matter the most to them. Last Congress, despite the increasing chaos and partisanship in Washington, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle came together to give veterans greater quality care and greater choice in where to seek care in the MISSION Act, to allow veterans to use their GI Bill benefits whenever they choose in the Forever GI Bill, to make it easier for veterans to get their claims for disability compensation decided in the Appeals Modernization Act, and to ensure that the Department of Veterans Affairs is responsive to veterans in the Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act. Yet, one of the most notable actions Congress has taken to honor veterans occurred before I came to DC, when the Veterans History Project was created in 2000. The Project allows veterans to share their stories about their service and preserves those stories for future generations to learn from and be inspired by. This year, Chairman Takano and I challenged all Members of Congress to submit at least one of their veteran constituent's stories to the Project before Veterans Day. As Karen Lloyd, the Project's Director, said when the challenge was announced, our veterans' stories are not only their personal stories, but also America's story. That story can only be fully told by those who were there -- on the battlefield's front lines or the Pentagon's inner corridors and every place in between -- fighting to defend the freedom and opportunity that our country is known for and has gifted to the world in countless conflicts since the Revolutionary War. "A veteran left their blood in some foreign country so that I, and every American, could live freely." Veterans Day has, thankfully, developed a new meaning since I left the Army as veterans are now given the honor, recognition, and respect they deserve. I certainly feel a greater sense of responsibility than I did as a young man to participate in the many Veterans Day events in my district that pay tribute to the veterans in my backyard. This Veterans Day, I will be thinking about them, about the millions of other veterans in the United States, about the millions still serving, and about the innumerable lives that have been lost in service throughout our country's history. I encourage all Americans to join me in that remembrance and to take the time to reflect on and be grateful for the many sacrifices, both great and small, that keep us free.