May 13, 2020 Dear Friends, Tomorrow, the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health will be examining a week-old whistleblower complaint before a proper investigation. This week, I sent several letters to Subcommittee Chair Eshoo requesting additional hearings on relevant information surrounding this pandemic. National Update: The Trump Administration announced Operation Warp Speed, an initiative to remove every unnecessary barrier in order to bring COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics to Americans as fast as possible. National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis S. Collins a... Read More »
by Dan Diamond President Donald Trump’s ousted vaccine chief turned whistleblower will go public with his claims on Thursday in an unusually friendly setting — a hearing chaired by a close congressional ally whose district benefited from his decisions. Rick Bright, who was abruptly removed as director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority last month, will air his complaints about the Trump administration's pandemic response in front of a House subcommittee overseen by Rep. Anna Eshoo, a Democrat who represents a Northern California district home to a company that receiv... Read More »
by Tom Benning The federal government for years failed to heed warnings that America’s supply of surgical masks would be insufficient in the event of a pandemic, the executive vice president of a North Texas medical supply company testified Thursday on Capitol Hill. Mike Bowen of North Richland Hills-based Prestige Ameritech told the health subpanel of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that America’s mask supply was long “destined for failure" because production was shifted to foreign countries to save on costs. “I call it chasing pennies to China,” said Bowen, whose company is America’s... Read More »
by Stephanie Armour A government vaccine specialist who was moved out of his job last month testified Thursday that the lack of a comprehensive, national strategy to address coronavirus may impede efforts to distribute a future vaccine and is causing current problems such as a lack of testing supplies. “The window is closing to address this pandemic because we still do not have a standard centralized coordinated plan to take our nation through this response,” Rick Bright said at a House Committee on Energy and Commerce health subcommittee hearing, adding that “I believe we could have done bett... Read More »
by Melissa Macaya, Adrienne Vogt, Alex Rogers, Maggie Fox and Meg Wagner Rick Bright, who filed a whistleblower complaint after being removed from his position as head of the agency in charge of pandemic response, testified for just under four hours Thursday before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's health subcommittee. Bright slammed the Trump administration's coronavirus response and urged lawmakers to listen to the voices of scientists to prevent "unprecedented illness and fatalities." Here are a few key points Bright made in his testimony: Bright 'alarmed' at lack of plans from f... Read More »
by Dave Kovaleski U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) is seeking to hold a hearing in the House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Health to examine concerns on the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). In a letter to Subcommittee Chair Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Burgess made the request, saying the committee has a responsibility to examine how to improve efforts to fight COVID-19 and conduct oversight as resources are being deployed. He added that hearing should evaluate the mission and capabilities of the SNS, review lessons learned from the current crisis, and consider bipartisan legisla... Read More »
May 12, 2020 Dear Friends, On February 5, President Trump laid out a plan for a prosperous nation with a robust economy that benefited all sectors of society. Speaker Pelosi literally tore that plan to shreds and has now provided an 1,815-page messaging bill. During March and April, Congress passed massive spending bills to provide aid during this crisis. It is now time for Congress to be deliberate, study and learn from implementation of the previous legislation, and see what next steps need to be taken. Americans need solutions, not a wish list bill that will not become law. National Update... Read More »
Congressman Dr. Michael Burgess, Republican representing District 26, tells Chris what we know and don’t know about China’s involvement in the coronavirus outbreak. The Chris Salcedo Show is on NewsTalk 820 WBAP. Published here. Read More »
May 11, 2020 Dear Friends, Today, I again sent a letter to Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Chair Anna Eshoo. It is critical that the committee holds a hearing on the impact COVID-19 is having on Americans’ mental health. This is just another example of essential work the committee should be doing but is being ignored by the Majority. National Update: Health and Human Services (HHS) released more information on how the Provider Relief Fund dollars have been allocated to hospitals in COVID-19 hotspots and rural areas. HHS also released data on the High Impact Allocations and more inf... Read More »
by Ripon Advance News Service U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX), ranking member of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, urged subcommittee chairwoman U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) to hold a hearing on the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) that examines initiatives aimed at improving the stockpile. “… COVID-19 has demonstrated that the SNS and the entire U.S. medical supply chain were not able to adequately respond to a pandemic event,” Rep. Burgess wrote in a May 8 letter sent to Rep. Eshoo. Therefore, wrote the congressman, the House Energy and Commerce Committee should he... Read More »
