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A congressional committee this week launched an investigation into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), citing evidence the agency in 2021 allowed political pressure to influence its decision to recommend COVID-19 booster shots for young, healthy workers.
Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), who chairs the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, on Sept. 6 wrote to CDC Director Mandy Cohen, M.D., MPH, demanding the agency hand over all key documents related to the committee’s investigation by Sept. 20.
A press release from the committee stated:
“The Select Subcommittee is seeking further explanations and answers on behalf of the American people given that political pressure from the White House may have played a role in influencing the CDC booster shot guidance.”
In his letter, Wenstrup also drew attention to “very concerning” comments recently made by President Joe Biden and the White House press secretary suggesting Biden’s administration has a “preferred outcome” for the CDC’s upcoming booster guidance this fall.
The anticipated booster is monovalent, meaning it is formulated to target only one strain — the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant — of the COVID-19 virus.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to greenlight the booster as early as Friday.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is slated to meet Sept. 12 to weigh in on who should receive the shot, after which Cohen is expected to sign off on the CDC’s official guidance.
Wenstrup noted that Cohen, in a recent interview, made comments suggesting that the agency’s fall booster guidance would align with the administration’s preferences.
“The CDC must follow medical science, not political science,” Wenstrup warned.
Walensky ignored myocarditis risk, made ‘capricious decision’ to recommend COVID booster
In his letter to Cohen, Wenstrup pointed out ACIP — a group of outside experts that advises the CDC on its vaccine policy — on Sept. 23, 2021, recommended against booster shots for those in high-risk occupations, citing a risk of myocarditis in young men and concerns about effective implementation of the vaccine guidance.
Wenstrup said, “In arriving at this advice, ACIP noted that younger people with no underlying medical conditions should consult their physician to determine if the risks of a booster shot outweigh the benefits.”
Less than one day later, Walensky disregarded ACIP’s recommendation and issued official CDC guidance recommending COVID-19 booster shots for those in this younger, healthier group.
According to Wenstrup, this was no small act. Walensky went against the “carefully considered guidance of the expert panel composed of 15 voting members, eight ex officio members, and 30 non-voting representatives designed to inform vaccine policy,” he said.
“ACIP had reasonable concerns about the necessity and feasibility of such a recommendation, which Director Walensky chose to ignore after mere hours of deliberation following the panel’s recommendations. …
“This highly capricious decision is even more concerning due to the broad authority that the CDC Director — a position that is not currently subject to the advice and consent of the United States Senate — wields in making decisions about Americans’ health.”
The CDC director is not obligated to follow the advice of the agency’s group of outside experts, Reuters said.
“This was a scientific close call,” Walensky said at a Sept. 24, 2021, White House briefing. “In that situation, it was my call to make.”
But according to the select subcommittee, the American public deserves more of an explanation.
Wenstrup asked the agency to send over “all documents, materials, and internal and external communications” related to ACIP’s Sept. 23, 2021, COVID-19 booster shot recommendations and Walensky’s Sept. 24, 2021, decision to approve the boosters so the select subcommittee could “better understand how and why this decision to overrule ACIP in 2021 was made.”
‘XBB.1.5 Kraken is long-gone. New booster too late again!’
Meanwhile, Dr. Vin Gupta, a public health commentator for MSNBC with ties to Biden’s presidential campaign, faced backlash on social media when he promoted the upcoming booster.
Gupta on Tuesday told MSNBC, “All of us need boosters … at six months of age and up. We’re gonna have boosters by the end of this month, hopefully, and those will protect — we believe very strongly — against these new versions of the virus.”
Commenting on Gupta’s statement, Leo Terrell, a civil rights attorney and Fox News contributor, tweeted, “Not getting a booster! It does not work! Left wing lies!”
Not getting a booster! It does not work! Left wing lies! https://t.co/LU2m8x5Pgw
— LeoTerrell (@TheLeoTerrell) September 5, 2023
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) also pushed back, tweeting, “We won’t give up our freedoms again. No more tyrannical vaccine or mask mandates.”
We won’t give up our freedoms again.
No more tyrannical vaccine or mask mandates. https://t.co/8tpioXvB9O
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) September 5, 2023
The XBB.1.5 variant for which the fall booster is recommended was identified late last year and continued infecting people through the summer before waning and giving way to the EG.5 and newer BA.2.86 variants.
Dr. Peter McCullough recently tweeted: “XBB.1.5 Kraken is long-gone. New booster too late again! No large-scale randomized trials. No evidence of improved safety. XBB.1.5 Biden booster dead on arrival.”
XBB.1.5 Kraken is long-gone. New booster too late again! No large-scale randomized trials. No evidence of improved safety. XBB.1.5 Biden booster dead on arrival. @DrLoupis @MaryanneDemasi @TexasLindsay_ @ChildrensHD @SaraGonzalesTX @Jo_Bond @ShannonJoyRadio @MdBreathe pic.twitter.com/AYKJMQcfIt
— Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH™ (@P_McCulloughMD) August 29, 2023
Vaccine manufacturers Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax are expected to roll out the boosters starting as early as Sept. 13.
The New York Times on Sept. 1 published its fall guide to vaccines, with recommendations from Nirav Shah, M.D., J.D., principal deputy director of the CDC, and other public health officials and experts who recommend the general public — including infants 6 months and older — get the booster.
According to the CDC, COVID-19 vaccines are “safe, effective, and free.”
