John,

Since I was first elected in 2018, I have worked tirelessly to ensure that all Central Virginians have access to quality, affordable healthcare. And while we have made progress, there is still a long way to go.

The coronavirus pandemic has revealed many of the shortcomings in our healthcare system. As lawmakers, it’s our role and responsibility to investigate these aspects that need improvement and work to make them better. I am committed to ensuring we make this progress.

One of the areas I have been focused on is improving the supply chain for prescription drugs and making the U.S. more self-sufficient in our prescription drug production. The majority of medications Americans need — including drugs as common as penicillin — are not produced here. We are dependent on foreign production and supply chains, and the COVID-19 pandemic clearly demonstrated the vulnerabilities that exist in relying on foreign supply chains. We saw massive disruptions in our ability to procure N95 respirators and nasopharyngeal swabs. We cannot risk the same disruptions occurring in our prescription drug supply chains.

That’s why I’m advocating for our country to build a stronger biopharmaceutical infrastructure by producing and storing active pharmaceutical ingredients — the base ingredients for a vast array of life-saving medications — here at home. Doing so would ensure that we have the ability to produce necessary medications here at home, particularly in the event of disrupted supply chains. Also, producing these ingredients domestically can be an economic driver — that means more good-paying jobs for Central Virginians.

I am honored to represent Central Virginia in Congress, and as long as I serve, I will continue to work on making healthcare more affordable, more accessible, and more efficient.

If you want to ensure I remain in Congress fighting for issues that matter, like healthcare, please contribute to my re-election campaign today.

Thank you,

Abigail Spanberger