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30 Oct, 13 tweets, 6 min read
Covid-19 has impacted the economy, workforce, democratic processes, and so much more. How has the government responded to these challenges?

For #FOIAFriday, here’s a review of some of our latest FOIAs that could shed light on the federal government’s pandemic response.
Earlier this month, North Carolina elections officials reportedly received an email from a Trump campaign operative advising them to “not follow the procedures” of a new state rule regarding vote processing.
apnews.com/article/virus-…
We want to know whether similar instances have occurred in other states and filed related records requests to counties in Florida, Georgia, Montana, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.
americanoversight.org/documents?fwp_….
Drug company Pfizer is one of the leading contenders in the race for a Covid-19 vaccine, and had reportedly been in communication with the White House to express opposition to stricter standards for the potential vaccine’s emergency authorization.
politico.com/news/2020/10/0…
We filed FOIA requests with HHS for communications with Pfizer representatives regarding a Covid-19 vaccine.
americanoversight.org/documents?fwp_…
Former federal health officials raised serious concerns in September that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration appears to be under political pressure from the White House to echo administration talking points on school reopenings.
statnews.com/2020/09/15/top…
The concerns were raised after SAMHSA Administrator Elinore McCance-Katz said during a podcast interview, “What is this nonsense that somehow it’s unsafe to return to school?” We filed FOIA requests for McCance-Katz’s communications.
americanoversight.org/documents?fwp_…
Last month, HHS awarded the PR firm Fors Marsh a $250 million contract to “defeat despair & inspire hope” about the pandemic. Lawmakers have launched an investigation into the contract over questions about the political motivations behind the campaign.
politico.com/news/2020/09/1…
Contracts for similar morale-boosting campaigns were also awarded to the communications companies Atlas Research and DD&T (the latter is run by Den Tolmor, a former client of former HHS official Michael Caputo).
politico.com/news/2020/09/2…
We filed FOIA requests with HHS and several of its subagencies for communications and guidance regarding these ad campaigns.
americanoversight.org/documents?fwp_…
In April, FEMA announced it was ending federal funding for Covid-19 testing sites under the Community-Based Testing Sites program, with the plan to transition the sites to local or state control. After pushback from local officials, the transition was delayed until June.
We filed FOIA requests with HHS for records regarding the transition of these testing sites, including communication and directives about the change.
americanoversight.org/documents?fwp_…
Get weekly updates on the government’s pandemic response with our Covid-19 Oversight newsletter:
americanoversight.org/mail-lists

And read more about our latest #FOIA requests here: americanoversight.org/investigations…

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More from @weareoversight

American Oversight Profile picture
31 Oct
NBC documented how Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has mixed personal and official business. We’ve been investigating the email practices of Sec. Pompeo, as well as his use of agency resources for personal benefit.
nbcnews.com/politics/natio…
Last week, we released 400 pages of personal emails from Pompeo’s tenure as CIA director, including multiple work-related exchanges with Susan Pompeo. In one email, she offered thoughts on detailed messaging for Pompeo’s workforce engagement events.
americanoversight.org/pompeos-use-of…
We’re suing to shed light on Susan Pompeo’s role in State activities, too. Mrs. Pompeo has taken an active role in State business, including arranging Madison dinners with influential figures & traveling with Sec. Pompeo during the government shutdown.
americanoversight.org/document/compl…
Read 10 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
30 Oct
Through FOIA, we obtained a spreadsheet of voicemails generated by an automatic system at the Office of Refugee Resettlement about unaccompanied children. The records include complaints that attorneys were denied visits to see their detained clients.
Here’s a few examples:

An attorney for Texas Disability Rights told then-ORR Director John Hayes, “Staff was denied visit to Casa Franklin in El Paso.”
americanoversight.org/document/hhs-r…
The Legal Director of Arizona Center for Disability Law left Hayes a voicemail and said that they were denied access to interview 3 people.
Read 4 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
30 Oct
New: Documents from Washington State during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic reveal confusion and poor coordination on the part of federal agencies, leaving local public health officials scrambling to address the crisis.
americanoversight.org/more-documents…
One point of confusion was President Donald Trump’s Jan. 31 travel ban that denied entry to any non-American citizens coming from mainland China. Emails show some health workers wanted “more clarity around the new guidelines.”
beta.documentcloud.org/documents/2040…
By the end of February, federal and state officials faced coordination issues. State officials struggled to get info about how the CDC planned to transport non-residents who had tested positive back to their home states, and had to repeatedly send information to CDC officials.
Read 9 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
29 Oct
.@AP details how administration cabinet members’ travel to states that are crucial in the upcoming election could violate the Hatch Act.
apnews.com/article/electi…
The administration “has completely obliterated” the line between political & official activities,” our @AREvers said. “The White House is now the seat of government...and one of his chief campaign props.” And that erosion of norms has spread throughout the entire administration.”
Just today, we asked the Office of Special Counsel and the DHS IG to investigate whether Acting DHS Sec. Chad Wolf, Ken Cuccinelli, & other senior DHS officials have ordered actions with the purpose of affecting the result of the upcoming election.
Read 4 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
29 Oct
Our efforts to expose misconduct and abuse of power have shed light on many issues.

This week, we’re highlighting what we’ve uncovered about key policy concerns—and what we’re still trying to find out.

americanoversight.org/open-questions…
First, the federal government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In September, we obtained a massive trove of documents from USPS that revealed a plan to mail masks to every American. The Washington Post reported the White House scrapped the plan.
americanoversight.org/document/usps-…
Documents we obtained also shed light on pressure from meat-packer Smithfield Foods to reopen processing plants despite rising coronavirus cases and local health department orders.
usatoday.com/story/news/202…
Read 35 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
28 Oct
In an unusually political and unprofessional Twitter exchange, an Interior Department spokesperson stated that the agency had hired new ethics staff as part of an apparent commitment to ethical conduct.

We’ve been investigating ethics issues at DOI.
When he took office, Secretary Bernhardt — who had recently been a fossil fuel industry lobbyist — reportedly carried a notecard to keep track of his potential conflicts of interests.
washingtonpost.com/national/healt…
And just 4 days after his 2019 confirmation, DOI's IG opened a probe looking at 7 separate complaints, including ethics violations, pertaining to Bernhardt.

Here are some of the previously-unreported areas of concern we’ve uncovered regarding Bernhardt & potential ethics issues:
Read 13 tweets

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