On Wednesday, February 8, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a Joint Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee and Health Subcommittee hearing titled “The Federal Response to COVID-19.” Three witnesses testified:
- Dr. Lawrence A. Tabak, D.D.S., Ph.D., Senior Official Performing the Duties of Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH),
- The Honorable Robert Califf, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
- Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Ms. Dawn O’Connell, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) was invited but unable to attend due to a family emergency.
Members of the subcommittees agreed that the public’s trust in public health had eroded during the pandemic response but disagreed on the cause. Republican leaders were generally critical of the federal response under the Biden administration. For example, both Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee cited negative effects of long-term school closures and questioned the validity of mask mandates for children. Chair Rodgers was particularly critical of the Biden administration, admonishing NIH for a perceived lack of investigations into COVID-19 origins, CDC for releasing guidance recommending school closures and masking for young children, and FDA for not responding to alleviate concerns about vaccine effectiveness and safety.
Meanwhile, Democrats criticized the previous administration and their current Republican colleagues for their pandemic response. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, called the Trump administration’s response too slow and accused administration leaders of spreading misinformation that undercut agency activities. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, criticized Republican Congressional leadership for aiming to roll back COVID-19 efforts and protections when variants still pose a danger to Americans, and for some members spreading disinformation about vaccine safety. Democrats also emphasized the importance of preparation for the next public health emergency and investing in response efforts for evolving COVID-19 variants. Many Democratic members also mentioned racial and ethnic health disparities and how this attributed to disproportionate COVID-19 deaths.
The witness testimonies highlighted their agencies’ successes throughout the pandemic. Dr. Tabak mentioned the NIH’s critical role in biodefense, developing and making COVID-19 tests accessible, and ongoing research into long COVID symptoms. He answered many questions from Republican committee members about oversight of the NIH and their grant programs. Dr. Califf discussed the high effectiveness of the vaccines, how the FDA quickly authorized diagnostic testing, and worked to protect the American public from faulty products. He also shared how the FDA would benefit from a digitized supply chain to monitor and anticipate drug shortages. Dr. Walensky mentioned the progress made so far with vaccinations and also cited an ongoing internal review that aims to strengthen and better prepare the agency for the next public health threat. She asked Congress many times to give the agency workforce and data authority to better respond to future health challenges and streamline the sharing of data between local health departments and the CDC. Dr. Walensky reiterated how the CDC had to combat misinformation during the pandemic and defended the CDC guidelines creation and review process to legislators.
