The Pressure on Public Health: Examining the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 Vaccine Approval Process Amidst Concerns for Accountability within the Administrative State

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust is set to 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.

Congress will examine the need for reforms in the administrative state to ensure accountability within agencies, especially in the process of vaccine approval. The witnesses scheduled to testify at the hearing include 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, among others. Each witness will provide testimony based on their expertise and experiences related to the oversight of the Biden administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The approval of the vaccine allowed the Biden administration to mandate its use despite concerns about potential injuries among young healthy Americans. It is important that Congress examines this issue carefully and determines whether any changes are needed in order to ensure that public health policies are based on sound scientific evidence.

In addition to examining this specific issue with regards to vaccines, Congress also needs to consider broader issues related to regulatory reform within government agencies. By ensuring that there is accountability within these agencies and that they follow established guidelines and procedures for decision making, we can help prevent future instances where public health policies are put into place without proper consideration or oversight.

Overall this hearing is an important opportunity for Congress to examine one aspect of how our government works during times such as crises like pandemics but also look into broader issues related to regulatory reform within government agencies in order for them to function better serve us as citizens.