This week, the United States marked a grim milestone: more than 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic. Against this backdrop, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar moved to bar the national health agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, from signing off on any new rules without his consent. Azar’s sweeping declaration, called by some as a “power grab,” would affect regulation of the nation’s foods, medicines, medical devices and other products, including vaccines. That’s according to a September 15th memo, obtained by the New York Times. We’ll talk about the federal response to the pandemic and how the nation is faring in its fight against COVID-19.
Related Links:
- How America Can Survive the Winter (The Atlantic)
- How the Pandemic Divided California in Two (LA Times op-ed)
- In ‘Power Grab,’ Health Secretary Azar Asserts Authority Over F.D.A. (NY Times)