Ex-FDA Head Scott Gottlieb Says Biden Admin Made Mistake in Federalizing COVID Vaccine Mandates
Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on Sunday said the Biden administration had made a mistake in federalizing vaccine mandates "in ways" that they did not have to.
Gottlieb made his comments during an interview with CBS' "Face The Nation," where the former FDA commissioner talked about the Biden administration's COVID-19 response.
Ex-FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on Federalizing Vaccine Mandates
During the interview, Scott Gottlieb was asked regarding the issue of the Biden administration "falling short" on its COVID-19 response.
Gottlieb said the Biden administration committed some mistakes at a "macro level." He noted that the first was blaming the Trump administration for problems involving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other health agencies, The Hill reported.
I think the administration made some mistakes at a macro level. The first was buying into this prevailing narrative when they took office that a lot of the problems, if not all the problems, at CDC and from the federal public health agencies owed to the Trump administration and their mishandling of those agencies," Gottlieb pointed out.
"Now, notwithstanding what the Trump administration did, it didn't do to try to reform those agencies and interfere in their operations," he added.
Gottlieb said the reality was that the CDC and other federal health agencies had "deep flaws," and it made "it hard to reform the agencies once you bought into that- that macro narrative."
Second, Gottlieb said he also thinks that when the Biden administration federalized aspects of its COVID response, particularly concerning the vaccine mandates, "they owned it and created a perception that they alone could fix it."
Even though the former FDA commissioner pointed out the mishaps that the Biden administration made in their COVID-19 response, Gottlieb lauded some aspects which for him was "admirable."
"Look the administration [Biden], I think has done an admirable job with certain aspects of this response. They put a big emphasis on rolling out vaccines," Gottlieb said. The former FDA commissioner also credited the Biden administration for the 85 percent of American adults who received at least a dose of the vaccines.
U.S. Supreme Court Blocks Pres. Joe Biden's Vaccine Mandate
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked Pres. Joe Biden's vaccine mandate, requiring workers from large companies to be vaccinated or masked and tested weekly.
According to the justices, the mandate exceeded the Biden administration's authority. Disappointed with the Supreme Court's decision, President Joe Biden called on the business leaders to "join" the other companies who instituted vaccine requirements among their workers.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump lauded the decision of the Supreme Court, saying they are "proud" of the high court for not "backing down." Trump said Biden's vaccine mandates would "further destroy" the U.S. economy.
Some Republican states and business groups earlier said that the Biden administration overstepped its authority with the vaccine mandates.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Joshua Summers
WATCH: Supreme Court Blocks Biden's Vaccine Mandate for the Workplace - From Los Angeles Times