Thursday’s Blockbuster Hearing With Dr. Bright, Bowen To Expose Trump’s Failure Prepare, Listen To Experts
CNN: Ousted Vaccine Director Files Whistleblower Complaint Alleging Coronavirus Warnings Were Ignored
Washington Post: In The Early Days Of The Pandemic, The U.S. Government Turned Down An Offer To Manufacture Millions Of N95 Masks In America
Tomorrow, Dr. Rick Bright, the ousted director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Mike Bowen, the owner of Prestige Ameritech, the largest domestic mask producer, will testify in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s health subcommittee.
Bright and Bowen’s testimony is expected to paint a clear picture: the Trump administration was warned of expected supply shortages in January and refused to prepare for months. As Americans and health care workers die because of the lack of PPE, it has become clear that the Trump administration is directly responsible for their deaths.
In January, Bright Attempted To Warn The Trump Administration About Urgency Needed To Address The Coronavirus
Bright’s Whistleblower Complaint Read That “Bright And Other Public Health Officials Were Fully Aware Of The Emerging Threat Of Covid-19 By Early January 2020.”
- Yet, as Bright raised concerns about coronavirus, he “initially encountered indifference which then developed into hostility from HHS leadership, including Secretary Azar.”
Dr. Bright And Prestige Ameritech Co-Owner Mike Bowen Began Pushing HHS Leadership To Address Coming Mask Shortages As Early As January
In January, Bright Began Pushing HHS Leadership To Act Urgently To Address Scarcity Of Critical Medical Supplies, Including N95 Masks, Swabs, And Syringes:
- On January 21, Bright forwarded an email from Mike Bowen, co-owner and Executive Vice President of domestic mask producer Prestige Ameritech, offering to procure masks to the ASPR Critical Infrastructure Team.
- As he pressured HHS to prevent mask shortages, Bowen wrote on January 23rd: “My phones are ringing now, so I don’t ‘need’ government business. I’m just letting you know that I can help you preserve our infrastructure if things ever get really bad. I’m a patriot first, businessman second.”
- On January 25th, Bright suggested considering financial support to mask manufacturer Prestige Ameritech to open its defunct factories.
- On January 27th, Bright complained that Prestige Ameritech’s requests for support to accelerate mask production “seem[ed] to be falling on deaf ears.”
- The week of February 4th, Dr. Bright directed BARDA to revise its budget to include expenses to ramp up domestic mask production.
- On February 16th, after receiving a form letter from FDA, Bowen angrily urged the FDA and HHS to contact chinese respirator companies about acquiring protective gear.
- ASPR finally put out a pre-solicitation to collect information from mask producers five weeks after Dr. Bright first urged immediate action to prevent a mask shortage.
- FEMA did not award a mask contract to Prestige Ameritech until April 9th, awarding a $9.5 million contract where Prestige charged the government 79 cents apiece. The Washington Post reported that the federal government also ultimately awarded contracts to inexperienced manufacturers that charged as much as $5.50 apiece for masks, nearly 7 times the 79 cents per mask Prestige offered.
Bright Pressed For Urgent Access To Funding, Personnel, And Clinical Specimens, Which Were Critical For Developing Vaccines And Other Treatments
- On January 23rd, Bright sounded the alarm about the emerging coronavirus threat during meetings with Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dr. Robert Kedlec in which he pressed for “urgent access to funding, personnel and clinical specimens.” In response, Azar and Kedlec “responded with surprise” and downplayed the seriousness of the virus. Bright was then cut out of future coronavirus meetings.
Bright Urged The Trump Administration To Stock Up On Remdesivir In February — The Trump Administration Did Not Stock Up On Until May 8th
- On February 8th, Bright urged Trump’s trade advisor Peter Navarro to stop the exportation of N95 masks, stock up On Remdesivir and develop “Manhattan Project” for a vaccine.
- A shortage of remdesivir has put coronavirus patients at risk, while the Trump administration did not step in to control its supply until May 8th.
Bright Was Pressured To Extend A Contract With Aeolus Pharmaceuticals Because The Chief Executive Was A Friend Of Trump-Son-In-Law Jared Kushner
- Bright was pressured to extend a contract with Aeolus Pharmaceuticals by a pharmaceutical Lobbyist because the chief executive was a friend of Jared Kushner’s.
Bright Warned Against The Broad Use Of Unproven Drugs Chloroquine And Hydroxychloroquine As Trump Touted Them As Potential Cures
- Bright opposed the broad use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as lacking scientific merit and wanted to warn Americans about the lacking scientific evidence in treating coronavirus patients.