Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Administration Trying To Sabotage New Job, Whistleblower Says
The Hill: Whistleblower Says Trump Administration Continues To Retaliate Against Him
A whistleblower says the Trump administration continues to retaliate against him, stating in an updated complaint on Thursday that top officials are actively trying to discredit him and prevent him from being successful in a new role. Rick Bright, who led the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) until he was demoted in late April, said in an amended complaint he has been "deliberately impeded" in his role at the National Institutes of Health, which "does not remotely utilize his expertise or experience." (Weixel, 6/25)
Stat: Ousted Federal Vaccine Expert Alleges HHS Secretary Continued To Retaliate
Bright, who played a central role in helping companies develop coronavirus vaccines, therapeutics, and tests as head of BARDA, was suddenly reassigned to a narrower position at the NIH in April. He is currently in a legal fight with Azar to gain his old job back. He alleges he was ousted from his role because he sounded the alarm over the administration’s lack of preparedness to respond to the pandemic and alleged cronyism between HHS officials and industry. (Florko, 6/25)
AP: Virus Whistleblower Alleges Retribution Has Only Intensified
The complaint said former colleagues of Bright’s at his old agency are now avoiding him. It described a conversation with one such colleague, who is not identified by name. The former colleague is quoted as saying that the agency’s new acting director, Dr. Gary Disbrow, had warned him “to be ‘very careful’” about dealing with Bright. The complaint said Disbrow had explained that Azar “was very angry with Dr. Bright and was ‘on the war path.’ (Disbrow) explained that Secretary Azar directed HHS employees to refrain from doing anything that would help Dr. Bright be successful in his new role.” (Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/26)
In other administration news —
The New York Times: Trump Overhaul Of Campus Sex Assault Rules Wins Surprising Support
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos fired a shot last month in the nation’s culture wars, overhauling how colleges handle investigations of sexual assault and ending what she called Obama-era “kangaroo courts” on campus. The new Education Department rules give more protections to the accused, primarily young men who face discipline or expulsion as a result of allegations of sexual misconduct. (Powell, 6/25)
The Washington Post: Under Siege From Trump, U.S. Postal Service Finds Surprising Financial Upside In Pandemic
A tidal wave of packages is keeping the U.S. Postal Service afloat during the coronavirus recession, boosting the beleaguered agency’s finances to near pre-pandemic levels while legislators and the White House joust over its independence. When the pandemic’s resulting economic shutdown took hold in early spring, postal leaders told lawmakers the mail service expected to hemorrhage $2 billion a month for 18 months, risking insolvency as soon as September. After Congress approved an emergency $10 billion loan from the Treasury Department, the agency said it could hold out until March 2021, but it’s avoided accessing those funds, wary of conditions the Trump administration is poised to impose in exchange. (Bogage, 6/25)
