Sen. Ron Johnson put the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on notice in a letter Tuesday for the agency’s “disturbing and shameful” lack of transparency surrounding COVID-19 data.
The CDC has published only a small portion of the data it has collected on COVID-19 hospitalizations, vaccines, and wastewater analyses in part because the agency feared the information might have been misinterpreted by the public, the New York Times reported in February.
“In the midst of a pandemic, it is unacceptable that CDC would withhold relevant data on COVID-19 that could inform the public and potentially save lives,” Johnson wrote to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.
CDC WITHHOLDS LARGE AMOUNTS OF KEY COVID-19 DATA
Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, also said the CDC was “grossly arrogant” for its repeated refusal to respond to or provide adequate answers to eight of his previous COVID-19 oversight requests since May 2021.
Johnson’s unanswered inquiries to the CDC included requests for data related to COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness, information on the effectiveness of natural immunity against COVID-19, and records related to early treatments for the virus.
“Throughout the pandemic, CDC and other health agencies have promoted inconsistent policies and recommendations regarding COVID-19,” Johnson said. “Many Americans who voiced concerns about these policies have been subjected to ridicule, vilification, and censorship from the press.”
“Rather than provide the public with complete access to relevant data to justify its COVID-19 policies, the Biden Administration has apparently favored censorship over transparency,” Johnson added.
He also requested the CDC brief his staff and disclose the names and titles of CDC officials who withheld COVID-19 data from the public no later than March 15.
It’s unclear if the agency will respond to Johnson’s latest request for a briefing.
Since Republicans are in the minority in the Senate and lack subpoena power, it is “difficult to hold these agencies accountable for their lack of transparency,” said Alexa Henning, a spokeswoman for Johnson’s office.
“We can hold the administration’s nominees to force responses or bills. Pressure from the media to hold these agencies accountable also helps in our oversight efforts,” Henning told the Washington Examiner. “The senator has held multiple open press roundtable events with doctors and medical experts and invited federal health agency heads, all have refused to attend.”
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Henning added that she is not aware of any efforts from Democratic lawmakers to hold the CDC accountable for its lack of COVID-19 transparency.
The CDC did not return a request for comment.
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