Democrats Target Political Interference in COVID Response With New Bill

Senate Democrats on Tuesday proposed a bill targeting political interference in federal health agencies' response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Called the Science and Transparency Over Politics (STOP) Act, the bill, if passed, would result in a new task force charged with investigating "any political interference with decisions made by scientific agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services in connection with the pandemic response," according to a press release from the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

The task force would be part of the Pandemic Response and Accountability Committee, an independent entity created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

"These reports would be released to committees of jurisdiction and could be made public so Americans and independent experts can see with full transparency whether scientists were unimpeded in their work or a product was pushed for political reasons," the release states, while adding that the task force will have the final decision to release any information considered in the public interest or important to public safety.

According to the release, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Washington Senator Patty Murray and 32 other Democratic Senators introduced the STOP Act in an effort to combat any political interference by President Donald Trump's administration within public health agencies or in their response to the ongoing pandemic.

In a statement, Schumer noted the U.S. recently reached 200,000 deaths caused by COVID-19 and millions have faced unemployment during the pandemic, yet "the Trump administration is still pushing the president's political priorities rather than following the science to defeat this virus."

"We simply cannot trust this administration to protect the American people, which is why Congress must step in," Schumer said, adding that the STOP Act will make way for an "essential oversight of the coronavirus response."

Washington's Murray also criticized the Trump administration's response to the pandemic, stating, "We need transparency and accountability from top to bottom, and we need it now—before it is too late to prevent more costly mistakes."

Schumer and Murray did not immediately respond to a comment request from Newsweek.

The press release provides examples of how Senate Democrats feel Trump and his administration have interfered in health agencies' response to the pandemic. It cites for instance a CNN report detailing how the administration pressured the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to change testing guidelines, and a New York Times article about Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar barring the Food and Drug Administration from signing any new rules without his approval.

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.