(Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), released the following statement in response to reporting from the New York Times that Dr. Rick Bright was removed as Director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) because he insisted COVID-19 treatments being pushed by the Trump Administration be scientifically tested.
“We need to be listening to experts and science, not pushing them aside. A global pandemic is not the time to shuffle personnel, or contradict and remove experts for wanting to do their job well. These reports are incredibly disturbing and I will be pushing for answers."
