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# GAO to Probe Trump Administration Political Interference
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/gao-to-probe-trump-administration-political-interference/
- Published: 2020-10-19T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T16:33:08.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: FDA Policy/General, #legacy-id-D5147905

At the request of several Democrat senators, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has agreed to conduct an investigation of the Trump Administration’s alleged political interference at FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to determine whether the interference has violated the agencies’ scientific integrity and communication policies. The GAO request was made by senators **Elizabeth Warren** (D-MA), **Gary Peters** (D-MI), and **Patty Murray** (D-WA).

“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 senators said. “Health and science experts should be able to do their jobs to steer us through crises like this pandemic without political interference, and we must ensure that the American people receive fact-based information so that they can make well-informed decisions for themselves and their families amidst this national public health emergency.”

The senators said their request followed reports that the Trump administration attempted to block an FDA guidance on stricter requirements for Covid-19 vaccines ([see earlier story](https://www.fdaweb.com/white-house-relents-on-fda-covid-19-guidance/)), and reports that the White House pressured the CDC into[ downplaying risks associated with children returning to in-person learning](https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/cdc-director-concedes-schools-inhot-spots-face-tougher-call-on-reopening/2020/07/24/273ee068-cdd8-11ea-b0e3-d55bda07d66a%5Fstory.html?ref=fdaweb.com) at schools and that HHS political appointees reviewed and may have altered or delayed weekly scientific reports issued by CDC about the pandemic.