Kerner, the special counsel, wrote in a letter to Mr. “I am deeply concerned about ASPR’s apparent misuse of millions of dollars in funding meant for public health emergencies like the one our country is currently facing with the Covid-19 pandemic,” Henry J. Robert Kadlec President Biden has not named a successor. The assistant secretary is responsible for leading the federal response to pandemic threats like the novel coronavirus. The report focuses on the actions of the assistant secretary for preparedness and response, the health department official who oversees BARDA and is responsible for its budget. The practice of diverting funds was so common, investigators found, that employees had a name for it: the “Bank of BARDA.” The 223-page report, issued Wednesday by the Office of Special Counsel, found that the Department of Health and Human Services diverted millions of taxpayer dollars intended for BARDA to finance vaccine research and pandemic preparedness into other government activities, and failed to inform Congress - a potential violation of federal law.Īmong the unrelated activities were the removal of office furniture, administrative expenses, news subscriptions, legal services and the salaries of other department employees. WASHINGTON - A federal watchdog has found that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, which drew national attention last year when the Trump administration fired its director, has been used for the past 10 years as a “slush fund” to cover expenses unrelated to its core mission of fighting health threats like Ebola, Zika and the coronavirus.
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