Press Releases
BREAKING: White House Backs Down, FDA Posts Vaccine Safety Guidance Opposed By Trump
LAST NIGHT –“White House Blocks New Coronavirus Vaccine Guidelines”…Trump said vaccines are coming “momentarily”…
NOW: “White House Agrees to FDA’s Guidelines for Vetting Covid-19 Vaccines”
Washington, DC – Today, in the face of public backlash to reports that President Trump’s White House was blocking the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) updated safety and efficacy guidance because they contradicted President Trump’s political messaging regarding a vaccine coming “momentarily,” the White House backed down from their opposition to the guidance and the FDA posted their updated stricter safety and efficacy guidance online.
“The White House’s reversal on this is a major victory and an important step toward restoring the public trust that President Trump has done so much to erode with his misinformation and political pressure,” said Eli Zupnick, spokesman for Accountable Pharma.
“We thank the career staff at the FDA who understand that science and public health, not President Trump’s political interests, must guide the government’s vaccine approval process. And we urge the FDA leadership to stand strong with their staff in the face of the certain Trump tantrum and to continue putting patients and public health ahead of Trump’s political interests.”
A timeline of political pressure on health officials
- October 5: Reports emerge that the White House, in consultation with the drug industry, has overruled the FDA and plans to block the new guidance.
- September 28: White House objections may prevent FDA from releasing stricter guidelines drawn up for the emergency authorization of coronavirus vaccines.
- September 21: President Trump once again claimed that a vaccine will be approved “within a matter of weeks” and that it will be available to the public “long before the end of the year, maybe…maybe by the end of October,” contradicting his top public health officials.
- September 16: President Trump publicly scolded the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield following his testimony to Congress that mask use was critical in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and that a vaccine would likely not be available to the American public until “late second quarter, third quarter 2021.”
- August 30: WaPo: “Inside Trump’s pressure campaign on federal scientists over a covid-19 treatment”
- August 25: NPR: “FDA’s Hahn Apologizes For Overselling Plasma’s Benefits As A COVID-19 Treatment”
- August 24: “Trump’s FDA Intimidation Campaign Pays Off With Politically-Convenient Announcement; Further Undermines Trust in Vaccine, Treatment Approval Process”
- August 22: Trump dials up the pressure with another tweet “The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics. Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3rd. Must focus on speed, and saving lives!”
- August 19: Trump insinuates that FDA is trying to hurt him politically through delay: “It could be a political decision because you have a lot of people over there who don’t want to rush things because they want to do it after November 3”
- August 18: “Trump Dials Up Pressure for Pre-Election Vaccine, Wonders if “Deep State” Will Delay Vaccine Announcement Until November 4th”
- August 17: “Trump Pushes Another COVID-19 “Miracle Cure” Hawked By His MyPillow Buddy, Housing Secretary; Watchdog Urges FDA to Stand Up to Pressure”
- August 6: “Watchdog Group to FDA: Patients Need More Than Words On Vaccine Safety Assurance; Supports Health Expert Calls for Additional Transparency”
- July 15: “NEW REPORT – Operation Warp Speed at Two Months: $4 Billion for Drug Companies, Zero Assurances for Patients and Taxpayers”
- June 25: “New Vaccine Report Highlights Trump Administration’s Drug Company Connections, Need for Vaccine Program Transparency”
- June 24: “As Dr. Fauci Expresses Hope for Vaccine By End of Year, Patients Need Assurances That Trump Pressure Won’t Corrupt Development Process”
- June 8: “Watchdog Calls for Independent Patient Advocate to Audit ‘Operation Warp Speed’”
- May 26: “Lack of Transparency, Conflicts of Interest Surround Trump’s “Operation Warp Speed” Vaccine Development Program”
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