CHD FOIA Work
“Sunshine is the greatest disinfectant!”
The federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires federal agencies to provide agency records to anyone who requests them. The agency must provide the records in a timely fashion and may withhold records only to the extent that the records are covered by one of the nine exemptions listed in the FOIA. For details, see CHD’s Do It Yourself: FOIAs webpage, the United States Department of Justice Guide to the Freedom of Information Act and the FOIA statute.
Children’s Health Defense is committed to truth and accountability. Thus, through FOIA requests, we work to shine a light on the federal agencies tasked with protecting public health and safety, seeking answers to questions we have the right to know. What are these agencies up to? What are they doing with our taxpayer dollars? How are they making good on their promises to monitor the safety of vaccines and other products? What are they doing to promote vaccine uptake? How are they spreading information about vaccination and other public health topics? What are they doing to influence and shape the public health narrative? Or to influence and shape the behavior of doctors, medical organizations, and others?
The list of questions goes on.
Our FOIA campaigns focus on various areas of federal agency activity, including its monitoring of vaccine adverse events, influencing of the narrative, and its use of grant funding to control state, local, and institutional policymaking. When agencies do not comply with our records requests, we appeal and sometimes take the agency to court to compel production of the requested records.
Selected CHD federal FOIA activities are described below, along with links to some key documents.
CHD Featured FOIA
FOIA 60625
Agency: NIH/National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Submitted: Aug. 28, 2023
Among millions of dollars spent by federal agencies to promote HPV vaccination, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) awarded a grant of $369,454 to HealthPartners Institute for “investigating behavioral mechanisms and efficacy of a provider-directed intervention for HPV vaccine promotion in real-world dental settings.”
This FOIA request seeks records associated with the grant.
*NIDCR has provided the requested records.
Articles
Records
Product Safety
What are federal public health agencies doing to monitor and ensure the safety of the products they regulate?
FOIA 2022-5587
Agency: FDA
Submitted: July 27, 2022
FOIA 2022-6498
Agency: FDA
Submitted: Sept. 9, 2022
The FDA has promised to vigilantly monitor the safety of COVID-19 injections and continues to assure the public that they are safe. The Jan. 29, 2021, Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) Standard Operating Procedures for COVID-19 describes the FDA’s obligation to monitor the VAERS database for potential new safety signals. Based on this monitoring, FDA scientists and others concluded in a May 2022 preprint article (published Feb. 22, 2023) that “reporting rates for death events were lower than the expected all-cause mortality rates. … These findings do not suggest an association between vaccination and overall increased mortality.”
CHD submitted FOIA requests seeking records of the VAERS monitoring and the data underlying the article.
*After the FDA failed to provide the records, CHD filed a complaint, asking a federal court to compel the FDA’s compliance with the Freedom of Information Act.
Articles
- CHD Sues FDA to Obtain Documents Related to VAERS Reports on COVID Vaccine Injuries, Deaths
- FDA Stonewalls CHD’s Request for Analysis of COVID Vaccine Safety Data — Again • Children’s Health Defense
Litigation Documents
- CHD’s complaint, filed Jan. 26, 2023
- CHD’s objection to FDA’s motion for an eighteen-month stay of proceedings, filed Oct. 11, 2023
- FDA’s reply, filed Nov. 7, 2023
- CHD’s sur-reply, filed Nov. 24, 2023
FOIA 22-02105
Agency: CDC
Submitted: Aug. 23, 2022
FOIA 22-02151
Agency: CDC
Submitted: Sept. 7, 2022
The CDC has promised to vigilantly monitor the safety of COVID-19 injections and continues to assure the public that they are safe. The January 2021 VAERS Standard Operating Procedures for COVID-19 describes how the CDC is supposed to monitor the VAERS database for “early warning” safety signals. In response to previous FOIAs filed by CHD and The Epoch Times, CDC has made conflicting statements regarding whether and to what extent it is conducting the promised monitoring of VAERS.
These FOIA requests seek records of CDC’s monitoring under the January 2021 protocol.
*After the CDC failed to provide the records, CHD filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, asking the court to compel CDC to provide the requested records. CDC has since provided some of the requested records, but the records are incomplete and heavily redacted, and the litigation continues.
Articles
Litigation Documents
Interim Releases
- CDC Letter: First Interim Release, VAERS/PRR Analysis – March 24, 2023
- First Document Release – March 24, 2023
- CDC Response Letter: VAERS EB Data Mining/PRR Analysis – June 9, 2023
FOIA 2022-6494
Agency: FDA
Submitted: Sept. 7, 2022
The FDA has promised to vigilantly monitor the safety of COVID-19 injections and continues to assure the public that they are safe. The Feb. 10, 2021, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Surveillance: Active Monitoring Master Protocol describes the FDA’s obligation to monitor rates of adverse events of special interest following COVID-19 vaccination.
This FOIA request seeks records of that monitoring.
*Despite several follow-up emails from CHD, FDA has not yet provided records. As a result, CHD filed a complaint, asking a federal court to compel the FDA’s compliance with the Freedom of Information Act. On Oct. 12, 2023, the FDA filed a motion to stay proceedings in the case for at least eighteen months.
Litigation Documents
- CHD’s complaint in CHD v. FDA, filed Aug. 10, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- FDA’s Motion to Stay Proceedings for Eighteen Months, filed Oct. 12, 2023
FOIA 59265
Agency: NIH
Submitted: Nov. 10, 2022
Around January 2021, NIH researchers began to hear from individuals who were experiencing severe, lasting health problems after COVID-19 vaccination, including neurological, cardiovascular, muscular and other disorders. The NIH researchers sought to learn more, bringing some affected people to NIH headquarters for testing and sometimes treatment.
This FOIA request seeks NIH communications with and about members of the public who were injured by COVID-19 injections.
*After NIH failed to provide records, CHD filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, asking the court to compel NIH to provide the requested records.
Articles
- CHD Sues NIH Over Failure to Comply With FOIA Request for Correspondence With COVID Vaccine Injury Victims
- CHD Attorney Accuses NIH of ‘Stonewalling’ in Case Involving People Injured by COVID Shots Who Contacted NIH Researchers • Children’s Health Defense
- In Surprise Reversal, NIH to Hand Over Communications Between Agency and People Injured by COVID Shots
Litigation documents
FOIA 2023-2075
Agency: FDA
Submitted: March 14, 2023
On Feb. 15, 2023, Florida Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo, M.D., Ph.D. sent a letter raising concerns about the safety of COVID-19 injections to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D. In a response letter, Drs. Califf and Walensky stated, “FDA and CDC physicians continuously screen and analyze VAERS data for possible safety concerns. … Most reports do not represent adverse events caused by the vaccine and instead represent a pre-existing condition … or an underlying medical condition.”
This FOIA seeks records upon which these claims are based.
FOIA 2023-00885
Agency: CDC
Submitted: March 14, 2023
On Feb. 15, 2023, Florida Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo, M.D., Ph.D. sent a letter raising concerns about the safety of COVID-19 injections to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D. In a response letter, Drs. Califf and Walensky stated, “FDA and CDC physicians continuously screen and analyze VAERS data for possible safety concerns. … Most reports do not represent adverse events caused by the vaccine and instead represent a pre-existing condition … or an underlying medical condition.”
This FOIA seeks records underlying these claims.
*On Sept. 6, 2023, the CDC responded to the request, producing heavily redacted records. CHD has appealed the redactions.
FOIA 23-00056
Agency: CDC
Submitted: Oct. 12, 2023
COVID-19 injections are widely understood to enhance the risk of myocarditis, especially in young men.
This FOIA request seeks emails containing the word “myocarditis” sent or received by CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and four other individuals working in the CDC’s Immunization Safety Office (ISO) during the months immediately preceding and immediately following the rollout of COVID-19 injections.
*CDC has provided nearly 1,000 pages of responsive records, over half of which are redacted. CHD filed an administrative appeal seeking disclosure of the redacted material.
Articles
Records
FOIA 2023-00322
Agency: HHS/BARDA
Submitted: Jan. 1, 2023
According to the director of BARDA’s Regulatory and Quality Affairs Division (RQA), before the federal government is able to purchase COVID-19 vaccines, the RQA Quality Team must perform a “review and acceptance.” The RQA Director Tremel Faison stated that “every COVID-19 vaccine that the American public has received was reviewed by our [RQA] Quality Team.”
This FOIA request seeks records documenting the procedures and methods used by the RQA Quality Team to conduct the review described by the RQA Director.
Records
FOIA 2023-00916
Agency: BARDA
Submitted: July 3, 2023
In response to a FOIA request, BARDA provided CHD with its “Standard Operating Procedure Receipt and Inspection Process for BARDA Contracted Products Delivered to SNS Facilities or Other Designated Storage Sites.” The SOP provides that prior to a shipment, BARDA requests from the contractor — among other things — a Quality Disposition Letter making certain assurances about manufacturing processes and criteria.
This FOIA seeks copies of all Quality Disposition Letters provided to BARDA by Pfizer-BioNTech for COVID-19 vaccines from Sept. 1, 2020 through Dec. 31, 2021.
FOIA 2023-294
Agency: FDA
Submitted: Jan. 9, 2023
The FDA’s December 2020 Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 injection for ages sixteen and up requires Pfizer to submit manufacturing and quality control reports regularly.
This FOIA request seeks the manufacturing and quality control reports for seven batches of the injection.
Product Promotion
What are federal public health agencies doing to influence the narrative about and promote the uptake of the products they regulate?
FOIA 60625
Agency: NIH/National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Submitted: Aug. 28, 2023
Among millions of dollars spent by federal agencies to promote HPV vaccination, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) awarded a grant of $369,454 to HealthPartners Institute for “investigating behavioral mechanisms and efficacy of a provider-directed intervention for HPV vaccine promotion in real-world dental settings.”
This FOIA request seeks records associated with the grant.
*NIDCR has provided the requested records.
Articles
Records
FOIA 23-00374
Agency: CDC
Submitted: Dec. 12, 2022
FOIA 23-00376
Agency: CDC
Submitted: Dec. 12, 2022
FOIA 23-00407
Agency: CDC
Submitted: Dec. 19, 2022
The federal government has spent millions of dollars to promote COVID-19 vaccinations, including multi-million dollar grants from the CDC to medical, civic and state organizations to promote vaccination.
These FOIA requests seek copies of CDC grants to organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the State of Maine, the National Hispanic Medical Association, the National Medical Association, the American Medical Directors Association, the Urban Institute, Community Catalyst, the Council of Medical Specialty Societies and others.
*CDC has provided the requested records. The ACOG grant is heavily redacted, and CHD has appealed the redactions.
Articles
Records
FOIA 22-0656
Agency: HHS
Submitted: April 6, 2022
The HHS campaign “We Can Do This” uses a nationwide network of “trusted messengers” to promote COVID-19 vaccination.
This FOIA request seeks records in connection with HHS’s efforts to promote COVID-19 vaccination.
*HHS provided some records in response to the request. CHD filed an administrative appeal seeking disclosure of some of the withheld records. Records
FOIA 2023-00678
Agency: NIH/NCI
Submitted: April 17, 2023
Among millions of dollars spent by federal agencies to promote HPV vaccination, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) awarded a $4.7 million grant to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to study ways that “Improving Provider Announcement Communication Training” can be used to increase HPV vaccination rates.
This FOIA seeks records associated with the grant.
Articles
- Exclusive: Federal Government Funds $4.7 Million Grant — Led by Merck Consultant — to Increase HPV Vaccine Uptake by Improving How Providers ‘Announce’ the Vaccine
- Exclusive: Taxpayer-Funded Study Uses Money, Peer Pressure to Get Doctors to Push HPV Vaccines
Records
FOIA 23-075
Agency: NIH/NCI
Submitted: July 13, 2023
Among millions of dollars spent by federal agencies to promote HPV vaccination, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) gave a $518,399 grant to Meharry Medical College to promote “a tailored health, communication intervention for HPV vaccine hesitant families.”
This FOIA request seeks records associated with the grant.
–Articles
–Records
FOIA 23-082
Agency: NIH/NCI
Submitted: Aug. 4, 2023
Among millions of dollars spent by federal agencies to promote HPV vaccination, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) awarded a grant of $439,798 to Rutgers University to address “HPV vaccination disparities through tailored messaging for hesitant families.”
This FOIA request seeks records associated with the grant.
Articles
Records
FOIA 2023-00081
Agency: CDC
Submitted: Oct. 18, 2022
In September 2020, the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) entered into a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract with the marketing communications firm Weber Shandwick to promote vaccination and increase the general use and acceptance of vaccines. Under the contract, Weber Shandwick is to provide over a dozen health communications staffers and specialists to work “on-site” at NCIRD.
This FOIA request seeks the contract and associated records.
*CDC provided a redacted version of the contract.
Articles
Records
FOIA 22-01352
Agency: CDC
Submitted: April 18, 2022
In early 2022, Congress appropriated billions of dollars to strengthen vaccine confidence in the United States. In March 2022, The Blaze reported the Biden administration made direct payments to nearly all major media outlets to promote positive coverage of COVID-19 vaccines and censor negative coverage.
This FOIA request seeks contracts entered into as part of this media campaign.
*The CDC provided some but not all of the requested records. An appeal of CDC’s decision is pending.
Records
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