According to The Epoch Times, House Republican representatives Chip Roy (Texas) and Andy Biggs (Ariz.) sent a letter to GOP leaders calling for investigations into “politically motivated” decisions made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The letter was sent in response to the recent CDC recommendation of adding Covid-19 vaccines to the child and adolescent immunization schedules, despite the vaccines still being under emergency use authorization for some children.
The Times reported:
Roy and Biggs, joined by Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) called on Republican leaders to add the issue to a growing list of potential investigations if Republicans take the House.
The letter is addressed to Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.).
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously during an October 20 meeting to add Covid-19 vaccines to the standard immunization schedule for children. The members agreed to add the Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax vaccines to the 2023 schedules, asserting that the vaccines, despite waning effectiveness, can still prevent severe disease. Technically the vote was only a recommendation, but that recommendation is highly likely to be approved by the CDC.
One of the advisors, Dr. Matthew Daley, said,
We view this as COVID is here to stay. When I think about the routine immunization schedule as a pediatrician, I think of it as an opportunity to prevent serious disease and death. And if something is added to the schedule, it’s because I feel like the benefits continue to strongly outweigh the risks.
Biggs and Roy warned that the ACIP decision will continue to undermine Americans’ freedom and protect vaccine manufacturers from legal liability. “This decision is concerning for multiple reasons and will only put the well-being of American families with school-aged children at further risk of their healthcare freedom while protecting pharmaceutical companies from any liability related to vaccine injuries,” the lawmakers wrote.
The main purpose of the letter was to ensure that the CDC would be added to a growing list of federal agencies to be investigated for misconduct by Republicans once they take control of the house in 2023:
If Republicans are once again entrusted with the majority of the House of Representatives, congressional committees with oversight of the CDC should immediately begin investigations, host hearings, and hold accountable those involved in politically motivated decisions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This latest decision is but just one example.
The Covid-19 vaccines have been proven increasingly ineffective against both infection and severe illness from newer virus variants. In addition, there is no evidence the vaccines protect against severe disease for children under 5. The clinical trials for children didn’t measure such efficacy, and the new bivalent boosters haven’t been tested in humans at all.
The lawmakers warned that “studies show that children have an increased risk to COVID-19 vaccine side effects,” adding that information from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) “shows that as of Oct. 14, 2022, there have been 57,166 reports of adverse events in children after they were given the vaccine. Of those, there are 161 reported deaths, 528 reported permanent disabilities, and 1,962 cases of myocarditis.”
Biggs and Roy attacked the CDC’s rush to push the new immunization schedules, saying, “CDC guidance has been wrong before—leading to terrible outcomes for children.” Referring to the now-known consequences of CDC-recommended Covid-19 school closures, they note that “We now face a devastating mental health and substance abuse crisis among America’s youth.”
According to the Times article, “In 2020, CDC data shows, 1,006 teenagers died from drug- or alcohol-related causes—nearly twice as many as died in 2019. By contrast, 199 people under the age of 17 died from COVID-19 that year.”
The letter also accused the CDC of misleading the American public. “The CDC has also actively misled the American people throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” including the controversial decision to change the definition of “vaccine” from “producing immunity” to “producing protection.”
Seeking to protect children and the rights of the parents, the lawmakers are seeking due process and a full investigation into the ACIP recommendation. “This recent decision by the CDC to include COVID-19 vaccines in the childhood vaccine schedule—and thereby pressuring states to implement this recommendation—should be questioned and fully scrutinized by Congress,” they wrote, continuing:
No child should ever be faced with losing his or her education over a clearly and undeniably politicized vaccine. Every parent should have the full freedom to choose whether it makes sense for his or her child to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Decisions such as these are personal and do not require the “recommendation” of the federal government.
The letter reportedly closed,
As you consider the numerous failures of the public health apparatus, we strongly urge you to immediately investigate and hold to account the people responsible for brazen political decisions with the potential to impact our children with irreversible harm.
The U.S. government should respect the decisions of American families, and not pressure States to issue an ultimatum that jeopardizes children’s access to primary and secondary education. Congress should ensure this is the case.
Of all the investigations that may be brought forth by a new, Republican-controlled Congress, this one into the politicized CDC should definitely top the list.
