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Covid-19 Oversight News: Vaccinations Drop, ICE Facilities Spread the Virus, and Trump Administration Misconduct
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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.
Congressional Hearings
- Tues., April 27: The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee will hold a hearing about consumer fraud and scams during the pandemic.
- Wed., April 28: The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing discussing the rise of substance abuse and mental health disorders during the pandemic.
- Wed., April 28: The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold a hearing to examine the coronavirus response in native communities, especially in education systems. Also on Wednesday, the Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing to review the Indian Health Service’s Covid-19 response.
- Thurs., April 29: The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing about how the pandemic limited access to Social Security benefits.
Vaccine Demand Slows
Last week, President Joe Biden announced that 200 million Covid-19 vaccine shots have been administered since he took office. But during this same week, daily vaccinations declined across the U.S. for the first time since February, reflecting that demand is softening. Vaccine hesitancy remains a problem: in data recently collected by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 20 percent of Americans said they will definitely not get the vaccine or will only if it's required. More than 40 percent of Republicans remain opposed to getting their shot.
Scientific studies have continued proving vaccine efficacy. A preliminary study found no evidence to suggest that the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are unsafe for those who are pregnant, and on Friday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that pregnant people get vaccinated. The CDC’s advisory committee also recommended lifting the pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, leading to multiple states reopening appointments for this vaccine this week.
In the States
- Although only 23 percent of people in Texas have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, vaccinations decreased sharply last week, and remain lower in rural communities as compared to the rest of the state. Black and Hispanic individuals continue to be vaccinated at lower rates than white residents of the state.
- Vaccinations have also fallen in Louisiana, where one million doses distributed by the federal government are sitting unused on shelves. State officials are warning that dropping demand signals the importance of outreach to communities that are wary of the vaccine or lack easy access to vaccination.
- Florida is once again seeing an increase in coronavirus-related hospitalizations, which experts believe could be due to the spread of Covid-19 variants in the state. Amid these worrying trends, state officials have refused to disclose vaccine information by zip code, which is crucial to understanding current trends.
How ICE Enabled the Pandemic’s Spread
A new investigation by the New York Times found that Covid-19 outbreaks in Immigrations and Customs Enforcement facilities impacted those on the outside, with an analysis showing that each of 10 large outbreaks in ICE detention centers were followed by coronavirus outbreaks in the surrounding communities. Although staff are most likely to transmit the virus outside facilities, ICE has refused to disclose data about coronavirus infections among staff. ICE policies have also enabled spread, as detained individuals were denied access to sufficient personal protective equipment and not tested even when they displayed symptoms.
In the Documents
American Oversight obtained documents which show the Treasury Department’s close ties to the private sector as the pandemic became a global crisis in spring 2020. In March 2020, top Treasury officials held meetings with the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company to “talk about real economy effects of covid19.” Also in March, officials from multiple cruise lines attempted to set up a meeting with then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to discuss, “adverse actions […] which could irreparably harm the cruise industry.”
Where is the Money?
NBC News tracked down ApiJect Systems, a Connecticut-based company that was awarded more than $1 billion in federal money to supply syringes for the Covid-19 vaccine rollout. Their investigation found that more than a year later, no syringes have been made, and the company hasn’t built a factory it said would create 650 jobs.
GAO Report: Chaos in Early Repatriation Efforts
The Government Accountability Office assessed the federal government’s efforts to repatriate U.S. citizens who were abroad when the pandemic struck in early 2020, and found that the chaotic evacuations put evacuees and American communities at risk. The GAO noted that there were multiple coordination issues among the Department of Health and Human Services’ component agencies and that HHS inconsistently used personal protective equipment. One HHS official even directed personnel to remove their PPE to avoid “bad optics.”
American Oversight previously obtained documents that demonstrate the confusion these missions created. On January 30, 2020, former Assistant Secretary of Defense Ken Rapuano wrote to Assistant HHS Secretary Robert Kadlec about the coronavirus response: “I'm receiving multiple feeds and they're not all consistent… State is looking to move 700+ all at the same time. That was a shocker and one that we had not anticipated. My team is working… true to my promise to your team to avoid or not involve your department.”
Federal Oversight
- The Project on Government Oversight found that in summer 2020, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General halted an investigation into the U.S. Secret Service’s policies for managing coronavirus risk. In July and August, dozens of agents contracted Covid-19 after accompanying then-President Donald Trump and then-Vice President Mike Pence to crowded campaign events. Last year, the Secret Service told American Oversight that it had no records tracking the effect of Trump’s and Pence’s travel on the spread of the coronavirus among officers.
- The Government Accountability Office reported that the Small Business Administration has begun to address oversight deficiencies in coronavirus relief loan programs, including by agreeing to implement an oversight plan for Economic Injury Disaster Loans and develop a strategy to manage fraud risks for each program. However, SBA has not yet announced plans to detect potentially ineligible loan applications.
Congressional Oversight
- Investigating Emergent BioSolutions: The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis wrote to Emergent BioSolutions President and CEO Robert Kramer and Executive Chairman Fuad El-Hibri requesting that they testify before the Select Subcommittee in May. The requests were part of the subcommittee's investigation into whether the company leveraged its relationship with a Trump administration official to profit from federal contracts (despite a track record of failing to meet contract requirements) and how these actions impeded the federal pandemic response.
- Patents for Coronavirus Vaccines: Ten Senators urged Biden to publicly support a temporary patent waiver for Covid-19 vaccines that would allow countries to manufacture treatments locally. The senators argued that this waiver would help expedite the vaccination effort worldwide and restore the strength of the global economy.
- Supporting Rural Communities: Sens. Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, Mike Crapo, and James Risch wrote to Acting Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young urging her to include the creation of a permanent national endowment fund for the Secure Rural Schools program in the administration’s 2022 budget request. The senators noted that the economic downturn caused by the pandemic has made funding certainty for rural communities essential.
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