Prognosis
Democratic Lawmaker Pushes Biden to Back Vaccine-Patent Waiver
- Schakowsky says production must ease to speed global recovery
- South Africa, India have taken the lead on pushing WTO move
Representative Jan Schakowsky
Photographer: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A top Democratic lawmaker is pushing President Joe Biden’s administration to support a waiver for sections of the World Trade Organization’s intellectual-property rules to improve vaccine access for poorer nations.
Representative Jan Schakowsky, a progressive from Illinois, said on Thursday that she’s drafted a letter asking Biden to reverse the Trump’s administration’s opposition to removing the barrier for production in developing countries. Schakowsky said that she brought up the proposal at a Democratic caucus meeting on Wednesday, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed support. Pelosi’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.