Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., have kept a close eye on Operation Warp Speed, the White House's task force to develop and distribute a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.
Four times members of Congress requested investigation of the task force:
- Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, sent letters Aug. 12 to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, Operation Warp Speed's chief adviser Moncef Slaoui, PhD, and David Harris, president and CEO of Advanced Decision Vectors, a firm contracted to hire consultants for Operation Warp Speed, seeking information on the initiative's process of selecting vaccine candidates.
- Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Gary Peters D-Mich., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., on Oct. 8 requested the Government Accountability Office determine whether the White House and Operation Warp Speed appointees interfered with FDA and CDC operations during the nation's pandemic response.
- Ms. Warren and Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a letter Oct. 23 urging the committee to hold a hearing on the U.S. Department of Defense's role in Operation Warp Speed.
- Ms. Warren and Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., sent a letter Oct. 29 asking the General Services Administration to investigate the conditions under which Dr. Slaoui was selected to head Operation Warp Speed.