The government’s independent watchdog will investigate whether Trump administration officials improperly interfered with the coronavirus response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, Senate Democrats announced on Monday.
The Democrats demanded the probe just over a week ago, citing reports from POLITICO and other outlets that detailed how political appointees sought to steer the science agencies’ policies and communications to match with President Donald Trump’s efforts to minimize the pandemic.
The Government Accountability Office will “review whether the CDC and FDA’s scientific integrity and communications policies have been violated and whether those policies are being implemented as intended to assure scientific integrity,” according to a GAO letter released by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Monday.
A GAO official confirmed to POLITICO that an audit would begin as soon as possible. However, the agency cautioned in its letter to Warren that it would not be able to begin its probe for about three months.
Warren, as well as Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who is the ranking member of the Senate’s health committee, formally requested the GAO probe on Oct. 8. In their request, the senators cited POLITICO’s report that administration officials sought to interfere with the CDC’s flagship Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports in order to align with Trump’s more optimistic message about the pandemic. Other incidents cited include pressure on CDC to loosen its guidelines on re-opening schools and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar overruling FDA officials on coronavirus testing rules.
“The GAO’s decision to conduct an independent audit is a good first step towards making sure that guidance coming from federal agencies is based on science and facts, not on the Trump Administration’s political agenda or the President’s whims,” the Democratic senators said in a joint statement on Monday.
An HHS spokesperson defended the administration’s oversight of its health agencies.
“Under President Trump, HHS has always provided public health information based on sound science,” the spokesperson said. “Throughout the COVID-19 response, science and data have driven and will continue to drive the decisions at HHS.”
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/19/government-watchdog-trump-cdc-fda-430175
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Dan Diamond
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