BREAKING—HHS misused million of $ in BARDA medical research funds—wrongly used for removing office furniture, news subscriptions & other unrelated expenses, inspector general says. $25-26 mil was “taken from BARDA funding & [improperly] provided to ASPR”.
cnn.com/2021/01/27/pol…
cnn.com/2021/01/27/pol…
2) The anonymous whistleblower made a complaint in 2018 that "alleged that (HHS') Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response ... misappropriated millions of dollars that Congress appropriated for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority—
3) “to respond to public health emergencies like outbreaks of Ebola, Zika, and -- now -- Covid-19," according to a letter sent by special counsel Henry Kerner on Wednesday to President Joe Biden detailing the report's findings.”
4) report contains evidence that ASPR used funds intended for development of public health countermeasures, like vaccines—to pay for removal of ASPR office furniture, administrative expenses, news subscriptions, legal services, & salaries of personnel who did not work for BARDA”
5) “BARDA, a small but powerful agency with remarkable purchasing power, has played a critical role in responding to the #COVID19 pandemic.”
6) “probe by HHS' inspector general into the complaint found that in misusing the funds, ASPR had violated the Purpose Statute— that "appropriations must be applied only to the objects for which the appropriations were made law," and potentially one other federal law.”
7) The misuse of funds was so widespread, "that there was a name for it: 'Bank of BARDA.'" "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 COVID-19 pandemic
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