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American Oversight’s Covid-19 Oversight Hub provides news and policy resources to help you keep track of the investigations into the government’s pandemic response. The project brings together a public documents database, an oversight tracker of important ongoing investigations and litigation, regular news updates, and deeper dives into key issues.
This Week’s Congressional Hearings
- Tues., March 16: The House Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing to discuss the role of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the Covid-19 response.
- Wed., March 17: The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing about the Biden administration’s actions to increase Covid-19 vaccinations. Dr. Anthony Fauci and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky will be among the witnesses.
- Wed., March 17: The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing about Covid-19 in nursing homes.
- Wed., March 17: The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis will hold a hearing to discuss how to build a post-pandemic economy. Also on Wednesday, the Senate Small Business Committee will hold a hearing about the Paycheck Protection Program’s impact and future.
- Thurs., March 18: The House Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing to evaluate the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ pandemic response and Covid-19 outbreaks in prisons. BOP Director Michael Carvajal will testify.
- Thurs., March 18: The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing to examine the federal government’s Covid-19 response. Fauci, Walensky, and officials from the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services will testify.
The Pandemic’s Long-Term Impacts
One year after Covid-19 shut down the country, reshaping how many Americans went to work and school, we are still learning more about how the pandemic has impacted society. We remain unaware of the extent of Covid-19’s toll on people who are homeless, or of what the future looks like for “long-haulers” — people whose symptoms persist months after initial infection. The pandemic may also shift existing norms, especially around education, as schools embrace remote learning and seek to make learning more accessible and equitable.
Vaccine Supply Boosts
Last week, President Joe Biden announced that on May 1, he will order states to make Covid-19 vaccines available for all adults. The announcement came as the administration has made major strides in vaccine distribution, continued to boost vaccine supply, and is considering using the Defense Production Act to assist vaccine developers with manufacturing. Biden also signed the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, which allocated nearly $20 billion to vaccinations. The relief package also includes direct stimulus payments, extended unemployment insurance, and rental assistance.
In the States
- The Sarasota Herald-Tribune obtained text messages that show Florida vaccine distribution organizers discussed how pop-up vaccine clinics could politically benefit Gov. Ron DeSantis. In the exchange, property developer Rex Jensen suggested that DeSantis might make an appearance at the Manatee County clinic, which could “help him get exposure here.” County Commission Chair Vanessa Baugh replied, “Excellent point … [2022] is right around the corner.”
- New York City has begun delivering Johnson & Johnson vaccines to homebound elderly residents in certain neighborhoods — the one-shot vaccine does not require freezing storage temperatures.
- In Texas, racial disparities persist in vaccine distribution. Black Texans, who make up about 13 percent of the state’s population, have gotten 6 percent of vaccine doses in the state. Hispanics, who are about 40 percent of the state’s population, have gotten less than 20 percent of the doses.
- In New Jersey, Latino communities have been disproportionately hit by the virus. Gothamist analyzed Covid-19 data and found that the virus killed young Hispanic men under 50 in the state at four and a half times the rate of Hispanic women; twice the rate of Black men; and seven times that of white men in the same age groups. Gothamist noted that Hispanic men are more likely to be essential workers and less likely to have health care.
HHS Moves to Investigate CDC Data Collection
Politico reported that the HHS Office of the Inspector General plans to investigate what actions the CDC can take to get more complete Covid-19 data. Due to its reliance on state and local data collection systems, it has been difficult for the CDC to quantify Covid-19’s disproportionate impact on racial minorities. This information is critical to determine which communities need targeted interventions. The Government Accountability Office is also studying federal data collection methods during the pandemic, and GAO officials told Politico that the agency will likely recommend that the CDC and HHS condense their data work on the pandemic.
Report: The Fed's Lending Programs
Public Citizen analyzed the Federal Reserve's Main Street Lending Program and found that the program facilitated more than $1.8 billion in loans to companies that laid off workers during the pandemic, and extended support to wealthy companies that also received many of the first Paycheck Protection Program loans. The program was also underutilized, with only 3 percent of allocated funds being used.
GAO Report: The Efficacy of the CDC’s Eviction Moratorium
The GAO analyzed the impact of eviction moratoriums during the pandemic, finding that during the one ordered by the CDC in September 2020, jurisdictions without state or local moratoriums experienced increases in eviction filings relative to the earlier months of 2020, suggesting that renters may not have understood the protections offered by the CDC moratorium. The CDC extended this moratorium through March 31, and the GAO recommended that the agency implement an outreach plan to promote it.
Veterans’ Health Care During the Pandemic
The Veterans Affairs Inspector General reviewed the Veterans Health Administration virtual primary care response to the Covid-19 pandemic. While face-to-face primary care appointments decreased by 75 percent during the pandemic, virtual care increased. But primary care providers reported that many patients had difficulty navigating the virtual platform, lacked necessary technology and good internet connectivity, and experienced technological issues with scheduling virtual appointments.
Congressional Investigations
- Mask-Wearing on Flights: The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee wrote to Stephen Dickson, head of the Federal Aviation Administration, asking the FAA to extend its "zero tolerance" enforcement policy with respect to passengers who refuse to wear masks on commercial flights. The policy was adopted in January 2021, and is slated to end on March 30.
- Covid-19 Federal Preparedness: The Senate Homeland Security Committee sent letters to the White House, the National Archives and Records Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the State Department, the Office of Management and Budget, and HHS seeking documents, communications, and interviews related to the federal government's Covid-19 preparedness and response. According to the committee, this is the first bipartisan effort by the committee to examine the federal coronavirus response.
- Family Planning Policies: A group of Democrats wrote to Acting HHS Secretary Norris Cochran urging HHS to rescind the Trump administration's Title X Family Planning Program policies that severely curtailed access to family planning and sexual health services. The members argued that the pandemic necessitates an immediate rescission of the rule, and referenced a 2020 study which found that the pandemic has led many women of color and low-income women to attempt to delay or prevent pregnancies, measures made more difficult by this rule.
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