Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Replaces Another Watchdog: Head Of Office That Reported Testing Delays, Hospital Shortages Is Out
NPR: Trump Moves To Replace Watchdog Who Reported Medical Shortages
President Trump is moving to replace the Department of Health and Human Services watchdog whose office found severe shortages of medical supplies in hospitals as COVID-19 cases surged. In a Friday night announcement, the White House named Jason Weida as its nominee to take the permanent inspector general post currently occupied by Christi Grimm, who's been in that role in an acting capacity since January. (Slotkin, 5/2)
The New York Times: Trump Moves To Replace Watchdog Who Identified Critical Medical Shortages
The nomination was the latest effort by Mr. Trump against watchdog offices around his administration that have defied him. In recent weeks, he fired an inspector general involved in the inquiry that led to the president’s impeachment, nominated a White House aide to another key inspector general post overseeing virus relief spending and moved to block still another inspector general from taking over as chairman of a pandemic spending oversight panel. (Baker, 5/2)
CNN: Trump Names His Pick For HHS Inspector General After Criticizing Acting Official Over Coronavirus Report
Grimm's name appeared on a HHS OIG report last month that described a dire situation for front-line doctors and medical staff. The report found that the nation's hospitals are dealing with "severe" and "widespread" shortages of needed testing supplies and personal protective equipment, hampering their ability to test and respond to the coronavirus pandemic adequately and protect medical staff. The assessment was based on interviews with administrators from more than 300 hospitals across 46 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. The report was not a review of HHS' response to the coronavirus crisis, but to help the agency in its efforts to support hospitals. (Stracqualursi, 5/2)
The Washington Post: Trump Replaces HHS Watchdog Who Found ‘Severe Shortages’ At Hospitals Combating Coronavirus
Trump laced into Grimm at a news conference in April, after her staff report found “severe shortages” of testing kits, delays in getting coronavirus results and “widespread shortages” of masks and other equipment at U.S. hospitals. The president demanded to know who wrote the report, calling the findings “wrong.” He then accused reporters of having withheld that Grimm had worked in the Obama administration. ... Grimm is a career investigator and auditor who joined the inspector general’s office, one of the federal government’s largest, in 1999 when Bill Clinton was president. She has served in Republican and Democratic administrations and is not a political appointee. She took over the inspector general’s office in an acting capacity in January from another acting official, who retired. (Rein, 5/2)
And in other news from the supply chain —
The Associated Press: NY Joining Six States To Buy Vital Coronavirus Gear In Bulk
New York is banding together with six nearby states to purchase equipment and supplies that sometimes have been hard to come by during the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday. Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is praising residents for mostly adhering to coronavirus social distancing rules during the warmest weekend of the spring, with police handing out only a few dozen summonses. (Sisak, 5/3)
