releases: https://rush.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rush-introduces-bill-to-protect-scientific-independence-of-the-cdc-and
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://rush.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rush-introduces-bill-to-protect-scientific-independence-of-the-cdc-and | Rush Introduces Bill To Protect Scientific Independence of the CDC and FDA | 2020-10-20 | 2020 | 2020-10 | Democrat | Senate | IL | Bobby Rush | R000515 | rush.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON Today, U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) introduced the Scientific Agencies Following Evidence and Guaranteeing that Unscientific Agendas are Refused and Denounced (SAFEGUARD) Act. This bill would create a Public Health Oversight Panel, which would be made up of a commission of six experts with experience in scientific review or oversight and would be chaired by the Assistant Secretary of Health. During public health emergencies, the panel would have veto power over all final regulations, guidance, and orders for the eight agencies overseen by the Assistant Secretary for Health including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), among others in order to ensure that science and not politics is driving decisions. In times of uncertainty, trust in science is more important than ever. And yet, during the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Trump Administration has undermined and undercut the scientific experts at our nation's public health agencies, by contradicting, muddling, and delaying the information and reports produced by reputable scientists, said Rep. Rush. This has real world consequences. In a recent survey, only 58 percent of the US public report that they plan to get the vaccine as soon as it is available, and among Black individuals, the predicted uptake is only 43 percent. The American people need to be able to trust in our government's scientific integrity in order to beat this dreaded disease and to get life back to normal. That is why I am proud to introduce a bill that would safeguard our scientific agencies from political interference during public health emergencies. In an effort to give the impression that the pandemic was under control, the Trump Administration has repeatedly contradicted scientists at the CDC, FDA, and NIH, which has made the pandemic worse and has damaged the reputations of these public health agencies. Some recent examples of political interference include: In August, the CDC published guidelines that stated it was not necessary to test those who were asymptomatic that had been exposed to COVID-19. The New York Times reported that HHS officials published the guidance on the CDC's website over the objections of CDC scientists. In September, Politico reported that politically appointed HHS communications officials had demanded the power to review and revise the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports to align them more closely with the President's claims. HHS spokesperson Michael Caputo urged the CDC to retroactively alter reports that he claimed overstated the dangers of COVID-19. While the CDC has resisted efforts to retroactively correct reports they have published, some reports including a CDC report that examined how doctors were prescribing hydroxychloroquine were delayed for a month as Mr. Caputo and his team reviewed it. In September, the CDC briefly published guidelines on its website stating that COVID-19 could spread through airborne particles, before pulling it down three days later. However, on October 5, the CDC once again updated its guidelines to state that COVID-19 could be transmitted by airborne particles, including by those who are further than six feet apart. According to NPR, many who study COVID-19 had been warning of this transmission for months. On September 23, 2020, President Trump threatened to intervene and invalidate stricter FDA guidelines for the release of vaccine. The New York Times reported that the main sticking point had been the requirement that those who participated in clinical trials be tracked for a median of two months after they received the vaccine, which would prevent an emergency authorization before the election. While the White House eventually cleared these guidelines, the efforts by the President to politicize vaccine approval undercuts trust in scientists and the FDA. Dr. Rick Bright was transferred from his role as the director of Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and assistant secretary for preparedness and response to a much narrower role at the NIH after he expressed concerns about an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for hydroxychloroquine being used by patients in a non-supervised setting. In October, according to his lawyers, Dr. Bright was forced to leave his position at NIH because he can no longer sit idly by and work for an administration that ignores scientific expertise, overrules public health guidance and disrespects career scientists, resulting in the sickness and death of hundreds of thousands of Americans. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |