Alex Azar, HHS in the hot seat over COVID testing controversy
“I’ve never seen such a complete political overruling of the agency,” said one former HHS official.
As health care guidance related to the COVID pandemic becomes evermore politicized, key federal government officials are finding themselves under the microscope. The latest is Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar for allegedly hampering the FDA’s ability to ensure accuracy and quality of COVID tests.
COVID testing has already been an issue, with many states saying they’re unable to meet demand, and others arguing that the backlog and time to get results renders them meaningless. In an apparent effort to speed up the availability of tests, Azar in August revoked the FDA’s authority to check new tests for quality and accuracy, Trump administration insiders told POLITICO. Inaccurate tests, resulting in either false positives or false negatives, would further hamper efforts to track outbreaks and keep the virus contained.
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“I’ve never seen such a complete political overruling of the agency,” a former HHS official told POLITICO. “It makes me worried about what’s to come.”
That and other ongoing disputes have led to a rift between HHS and the FDA and have prompted a call for his resignation from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “The Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, has not only failed to push back against these outrageous moves by President Trump, he has been almost entirely silent about the chaos and mismanagement in his own agency,” Schumer said.
HHS chief of staff Brian Harrison denied any foul play, asserting that the public health emergency declared in January overruled the need for FDA review of lab-developed tests.
Trust in the administration’s response to the pandemic continues to erode, with many Americans fearing that politicals motivation will result in a rushed vaccine that hasn’t been properly vetted.
Azar isn’t the only HHS official in hot water; communications official Michel Caputo came under fire this week for a Facebook post in which he accused the CDC of intentionally sabotaging President Trump’s re-election campaign. He has also been accused of interfering in CDC affairs and has been put on a 60-day medical leave, though others have called for his resignation, as well.
“It’s clear Sec. Azar can’t meet his basic responsibilities while allowing Caputo, a yes-man for President Trump with no scientific expertise who publicly attacked CDC scientists & privately interfered with key CDC reports, to continue serving in such an influential role,” Senator Patty Murray tweeted.
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