The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic sent a letter dated Aug. 2 to Mandy Cohen, the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), requesting information on the CDC’s plans for a COVID-19 vaccine rollout this fall.
Subcommittee Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio)—a doctor of podiatric medicine and retired Army reservist who was decorated for his service as a combat surgeon in Iraq—signed the letter.
The letter was sent as the American public has become increasingly skeptical about the choices and decisions of its government in response to COVID-19, and as it has learned that federal officials may not have been forthright with the nation about the nature of the disease and about the effectiveness and side effects of vaccines.
Revelations that the U.S. government worked with powerful social media companies to suppress information about the virus that was at odds with the dominant narrative has further fueled scrutiny of the government’s actions.
A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta on Sept. 30, 2014. Tami Chappell/Reuters
In September 2022, the CDC endorsed the public receiving COVID-19 booster shots in the fall to ward off the disease in the coming winter.
The letter follows the subcommittee holding a hearing on July 27, titled “Because I Said So: Examining the Science and Impact of COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates,” during which Republicans accused government officials of overreach and being forceful in administering vaccine policies.
Holding the CDC Accountable
Ms. Cohen, a physician, was sworn in as CDC director on July 13, succeeding Rochelle Walensky, who served as director from 2021 t0 2023. The CDC director is a presidential appointment that does not need Senate confirmation.Mr. Wenstrup and the subcommittee have a record of calling the CDC to task and have been highly critical of the performance of Ms. Walensky when she was CDC director.
In his opening statement of a subcommittee hearing on June 13, Mr. Wenstrup said he was hopeful the pandemic could be a unifying force for the country and the world.
“After all, a common danger unites even the bitterest enemies,” he said. “Unfortunately, in many ways, our public health leadership did not always rise to the occasion. Instead of being a calm and trusted voice of science and reason, the American people often felt let down, often deceived and left damaged.”
In the letter to Ms. Cohen, the subcommittee said that comments she made in an interview with Spectrum News on July 27 prompted it to request the COVID-19 vaccine information.
“Specifically, you said that you ‘anticipate that COVID will become similar to flu shots, where it is going to be you get your annual flu shot and you get your annual COVID shot,’” wrote the subcommittee. “It is unclear if the science supports such a recommendation.
“If this anticipated CDC recommendation occurs, it will mark a significant change in federal policy and guidance regarding COVID-19 vaccines and the way in which they are utilized.”
Among the information the subcommittee requested was “all documents and communications between or among CDC or Department of Health and Human Services employees or contractors regarding recommending annual (or any other time-based iteration) COVID-19 booster shots.”
GOP Opposed Cohen’s Appointment
Recent history suggests that the relationship between Republicans in Congress and the CDC director may continue to be rocky.Even though the Senate did not vote on President Joe Biden’s choice for CDC director, GOP lawmakers voiced their opposition to the appointment of Ms. Cohen.
In fact, three days prior to Mr. Biden announcing that he intended to appoint Ms. Cohen as CDC director, 22 Republican House members and six Republican senators jointly issued a statement calling on the president not to appoint Ms. Cohen.
Lead signatories of the letter were Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.).
“Dr. Cohen is unfit for the position,” wrote the lawmakers. “Throughout her career, Dr. Cohen has politicized science, disregarded civil liberties, and spread misinformation about the efficacy and necessity of COVID vaccinations and the necessity of masks, during her time as the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. She also has a history of engaging in partisan leftwing politics.”
Ms. Cohen, for her part, says that she sees as a priority restoring the American public’s trust in the organization.
In a July interview with the health and medicine media outlet STAT, Ms. Cohen said: “I recognize everyone’s fatigue around the pandemic. Unfortunately, viruses don’t get tired. So we have to maintain our vigilance. But the good news is we have more tools than ever before to be able to protect ourselves from the currently circulating viruses.”
