Lawmakers investigate how COVID-19 orthodoxy dissenters were treated at FDA

House Republicans launched an investigation Wednesday into how scientists at the Food and Drug Administration who disagreed with COVID-19 guidance were treated.

Federal watchdogs have recently released information showing that details around how experts in the Biden administration who disagree with things like COVID guidance are treated, and how their dissent is handled or considered, are unclear.

Republican leadership on the Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf requesting details on those questions.

From the letter:

For example, we note that in August 2021, the FDA announced two top vaccine regulators were leaving the agency. One reason cited for the departures was that they were upset about the Biden administration’s announcement that adults should get a coronavirus booster vaccination eight months after they received their second shot. Neither reportedly believed there was enough data to justify offering booster shots yet, and both viewed the announcement by President Biden as pressure on the FDA to authorize the shots quickly. It is unknown whether the FDA dispute resolution process was used, and if not, why not. We are concerned that the FDA may have retaliated against career FDA regulators who were viewed as insufficiently cooperative with the Biden administration’s agenda.

In their letter, the lawmakers want more clear and transparent documentation on how scientific dissenters and their thoughts are handled within the FDA.

Ongoing research and published evidence since the COVID pandemic began has brought into question the safety and efficacy of the COVID vaccine. Lockdown policy in particular has come under scrutiny as evidence suggests it came at a high economic cost with little slowing of the pandemic.

The COVID-19 vaccine authorized by the FDA from Johnson & Johnson is no longer available in the U.S. There were blood clotting concerns with that vaccine.

Other official COVID-related guidance has been almost entirely debunked. As The Center Square previously reported, a report from the George Mason University’s Mercatus Center that evaluated Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington D.C. showed that city-wide vaccine mandates did nothing to slow the spread of COVID-19.