The former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, Dr. Rick Bright, discussed the imminent need for an evidence-based, coordinated federal pandemic response in written remarks published shortly before he began to testify in person before the Subcommittee on Health of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Bright opened his live testimony by reading his prepared statement, in which asserted the value of accuracy and clarity in federal communications with the public. “Truth, no matter how unpleasant, decreases the fear generated by uncertainty,” wrote Bright, “the truth must be based on scientific evidence – and not filtered for political reasons.”
Bright advanced four critical points to divert the U.S. trajectory toward what he said will be the “darkest winter in modern history.” These included modeling and emphasizing behavioral preventive measures to the public, increasing production of supplies for medical personnel as well as first responders and essential workers, developing a system of securing and disseminating supplies that avoids pitting states against one another and ensures equitable distribution, and the development of a national testing plan.
Bright filed a complaint describing ways in which he tried to intervene in the botched Trump administration response to the pandemic. Bright claimed that he tried in vain to warn about impending personal protective equipment shortages and inadequate supplies of materials that would eventually be necessary to widely administer vaccinations. Inadequate testing materials were also a major point of contention between Bright and HHS leadership, according to his complaint. Additional points included the redirection of funds intended for BARDA to projects connected to Bright’s boss, Robert Kadlec, and alleged pressure on Dr. Bright to support the use of hydroxychloroquine as it was being touted to the public by President Trump.
Sources:
https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/200511%20Testimony%20of%20Dr.%20Rick%20BrightRevised.pdf
https://www.c-span.org/video/?471986-1/dr-rick-bright-testifies-coronavirus-pandemic-response
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/09/us/politics/whistle-blower-trump-coronavirus.html