House Dems Hit FDA, HHS Over Vaccines
Top House Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee are raising concerns over what they describe as a coordinated effort by the Trump Administration to restrict access to vaccines and undermine public trust in the nation’s immunization system. Two oversight letters sent to FDA commissioner Marty Makary and HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. accused the department and the agency of acting with “ideologically driven” motives that could jeopardize the health of millions of Americans.
In their letter to FDA, the Democrats expressed concern over recent actions they say have restricted access to Covid-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus vaccines, especially ahead of what could be a severe respiratory illness season. “These actions are far from the promise of ‘radical transparency’ so frequently cited by the Trump Administration,” the lawmakers wrote. “Congress and the public deserve more information about the rationale behind FDA’s decisions that will likely have harmful effects on the health and safety of the American people.”
The agency letter also points to shifting agency policies regarding the approval and distribution of new vaccines, questioning whether political considerations are interfering with the agency’s scientific judgment.
Both letters include a series of detailed questions and document requests as part of the Democrats’ ongoing investigation into what they call the Trump Administration’s broader effort to reverse long-standing public health policies and limit access to lifesaving vaccines.