Unraveling Accountability: The Biden COVID-19 Response and Its Impact on the Administrative State

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust will hold a hearing on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. ET. The hearing, titled “Follow the Science?: Oversight of the Biden Covid-19 Administrative State Response,” will focus on the Subcommittee’s findings regarding the Biden Administration’s actions in pressuring the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expedite the approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and boosters by lowering agency standards.

The FDA’s approval of the vaccine allowed the Biden administration to mandate its use among young people, despite concerns about potential injuries among healthy individuals. Congress is now considering reforms in the administrative state to ensure accountability within agencies, especially in vaccine approval processes.

Dr. Philip Krause, a former Deputy Director of the FDA Office of Vaccines Research & Review, Aaron Siri, a vaccine litigation expert, Dr. Jordan Vaughn of Birmingham, Founder and President of the Microvascular Research Foundation, and Dr. Andrew Tobias Pavia of the University of Utah School of Medicine are among those scheduled to testify at this hearing. Each witness will provide testimony based on their expertise and experiences related to overseeing the Biden administration’s response to COVID-19 pandemic challenges.

This hearing comes as concerns grow about transparency and accountability within regulatory agencies during times of crisis such as pandemics. The subcommittee hopes that their findings can shed light on how regulatory agencies can better protect public health while still maintaining scientific integrity and avoiding political interference.

The Subcommittee aims to hear from experts in various fields such as medicine, law enforcement, public health officials and advocates for patient rights and safety. They hope that these witnesses can provide insights into how best practices can be implemented to prevent similar issues from arising in future crises.

In conclusion, this hearing promises to be an important step towards ensuring that regulatory bodies operate with transparency and accountability during times of crisis like pandemics or other emergencies that threaten public health safety.