The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Biden administration coordinated with more than two dozen liberal advocacy groups linked to influential donors. This collaboration aimed to shape policy implementation and messaging related to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), as reported by the Washington Examiner.
In February 2024, Sarah Bourland, a senior policy adviser at HHS at the time, emailed representatives from several left-leaning organizations. The email, titled "Stakeholder Workgroup: IRA & prescription drugs," included links to HHS talking points and materials published by liberal groups supporting the Biden administration's efforts. These documents were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by the Public Health Reform Alliance.
Beyond this email, coordination between then-President Joe Biden’s HHS and these organizations involved a private chat room used for communication between health officials and activists regarding IRA implementation. According to sources close to the Public Health Reform Alliance, secure messaging platforms like Telegram and Signal were utilized for these discussions. The alliance has filed a follow-up FOIA request seeking access to these chat logs.
Martin Hoyt, Director of the Public Health Reform Alliance, commented on this issue: “The Biden administration used this stakeholder group to project the illusion of public engagement while outsourcing its policy messaging to political operatives.” He described it as “a profound breach of ethical governance and a betrayal of the American people’s right to transparent, impartial policymaking.”
The administration also invited various groups that actively support Democratic electoral and legislative objectives to participate in policy implementation.
