Congressman Bucshon Meets With Chamber Members

By Mark Spelbring

Sentinel Reporter

U.S. Congressman Dr. Larry Bucshon was in Parke County August 26, and the Parke County Chamber of Commerce hosted a discussion on issues with local chamber members and other residents at The Thirty-Six Saloon. Since Representative Bucshon is a physician, much of the discussion was related to the coronavirus pandemic, and economic issues related to it.

Rep. Bucshon, a Republican from Newburgh, began his remarks with a joking comment about the Democratic nominee for president, but after that he largely avoided politics. He mentioned being part of the “doctors caucus” along with other physicians serving in the House of Representatives, and said they get frequent briefings from the FDA, the NIH, and others.

Rep. Bucshon said the NIH is bullish on vaccine development, with several potential vaccine products having good safety profiles and now in Phase III studies with large numbers (30-50,000 people). He said any reports in the media saying that President Trump is trying to get them to approve something before the election are not true, adding the people at the FDA and NIH are professional scientists, and they will not compromise their professional integrity for politics. Bucshon said maybe a vaccine would be ready in the fourth quarter of this year or first quarter of 2021, but he said you’re not going to have people vaccinated before the election.

For the full article, see this week’s edition of the Parke County Sentinel.