Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

New Trump Administration Whistleblower Issues Dire Warning of How Pandemic Will Impact the U.S. After Trump's Botched Response

New Trump Administration Whistleblower Issues Dire Warning of How Pandemic Will Impact the U.S. After Trump's Botched Response
HHS.gov; Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
In testimony to be given before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's health subcommittee Thursday, another Trump administration whistleblower will state the United States is headed for "unprecedented illness and fatalities" unless additional preparations are made.

Dr. Rick Bright's testimony was first obtained by CNN and has since been made public.

Dr. Bright served as the director of Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) from November 2016 until April of this year. He had been with the agency since 2010.

According to the former BARDA head:

"On April 21, 2020, I was removed from my positions as the Director of BARDA and HHS (Health and Human Services) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response by HHS leadership and involuntarily transferred to a more limited and less impactful position at the National Institutes of Health."
"I believe this transfer was in response to my insistence that the government invest funding allocated to BARDA by Congress to address the pandemic into safe and scientifically vetted solutions, and not in drugs, vaccines and other technologies that lack scientific merit."
"While my intention in testifying today is to be forward looking, I spoke out then and I am testifying today because science—not politics or cronyism—must lead the way to combat this deadly virus."

Regarding his dire prediction, Bright will state:

"I continue to believe that we must act urgently to effectively combat this deadly disease. Our window of opportunity is closing."
"If we fail to develop a national coordinated response, based in science, I fear the pandemic will get far worse and be prolonged, causing unprecedented illness and fatalities."

The public health expert will offer another warning to the subcommittee members.

His written testimony states:

"Without clear planning and implementation of the steps that I and other experts have outlined, 2020 will be darkest winter in modern history."

Bright's whistleblower complaint filed last week alleged his removal was a direct result of his opposition to pushing for the broad use of President Donald Trump's recommended pandemic treatment.


He plans to reiterate it in his testimony Thursday, stating:

"[I] resisted efforts to promote and enable broad access to an unproven drug, chloroquine, to the American people without transparent information on the potential health risks."

People were not surprised by Bright's claims or his warnings.








Several cited Dr. Bright when they took their Republican legislators and members of the Trump administration to task over the federal pandemic response.






Dr. Bright is slated to testify on Thursday. You can read his full written testimony here.

This shirt is available here.

Amazon

More from People/donald-trump

Kristen Bell; Anna from 'Frozen'
Vanity Fair/YouTube; Disney

Kristen Bell Reveals Hilariously NSFW Joke That Was Slipped Into 'Frozen' Song Lyrics

Kristen Bell revealed that a NSFW joke "slid under the radar" and made it into the final cut of Frozen, and “For the First Time in Forever” will never hit the same again.

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the actor rewatched some of her notable performances, adding her own commentary along the way.

Keep ReadingShow less
"I Voted" stickers laid out over a table.
Voted printed papers on white surface

People Who Ended A Relationship Over Political Views Share Their Experiences

They say "opposites attract".

And indeed, when love is strong enough, two people can learn to live with each other in spite of their differences.

Keep ReadingShow less
switchback turn road sign
Jim Wilson on Unsplash

People Describe The Biggest 180 They've Seen Someone's Life Take

Life is full of choices.

Some have only a subtle impact on our lives, like choosing what to eat for breakfast. Others can completely and irrevocably change our future path.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from serenamoran's TikTok video
@serenamoran/TikTok

Parents Hilariously Dragged After Getting Mad At Disneyland's Evil Queen For Acting Evil

Disneyland and Disney World are among those places that countless children dream of going to when they are young, and the urge to go often continues into adulthood, especially for parents who want their children to experience the magic for themselves.

While it's perfectly understandable for parents to wish that their trip would go as smoothly as possible, it's also important to remember that little slip-ups will happen and surprising things are bound to occur.

Keep ReadingShow less
Instagram screenshots of Jenna Tea and great-grandmother
@thejennatea/Instagram

Trans Woman Records As She Comes Out To Great-Grandma—And Her Reaction Has Us Sobbing

Utah drag performer Jenna Tea went viral after sharing her great-grandmother's reaction to her coming out as trans, and we can see why it racked up more than a million views and 145k likes.

Jenna Tea took to Instagram in August to share her great-grandma's touching message to her after the revelation, and all of the internet was overcome with emotion.

Keep ReadingShow less