Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

Congressional investigation launched into Emergent BioSolutions' federal vaccine contracts

Congressional investigation launched into Emergent BioSolutions' federal vaccine contracts

Congressional investigators have requested top executives from Emergent BioSolutions testify before the Select Subcommittee.
Top House Democrats have launched an investigation into whether Emergent Biosolutions, which recently botched 15 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, won the federal contract to make the shots based on its cozy relationship with a top former Trump administration official.

Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney, of New York, chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and James E. Clyburn, of South Carolina, chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, sent a joint letter to Emergent Solutions’ CEO, Robert G. Kramer, and executive chairman, Fuad El-Hibri, to request that they testify before the coronavirus subcommittee.

“Specifically, we are investigating reports that Emergent received multi-million-dollar contracts to manufacture coronavirus vaccines despite a long, documented history of inadequately trained staff and quality control issues,” the lawmakers wrote.

The committees are specifically looking at the role Dr. Robert Kadlec, a former consultant to Emergent and Trump’s assistant secretary for preparedness and response, played in helping the company win the contract. They asked the company to turn over a slew of documents, including all of its federal contracts since 2015, all communication with Kadlec as well as information on audits and inspections of its facilities, drug pricing and executive compensation, among other things.

“Emergent received $628 million in June 2020 to establish the primary U.S. facility for manufacturing vaccines developed by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter sent Monday to Kramer and El-Hibri. Kadlec “appears to have pushed for this award despite indications that Emergent did not have the ability to reliably fulfill the contract.”

According to the letter, an FDA inspection of the Baltimore plant in April 2020 revealed that Emergent did not have the necessary personnel to produce a coronavirus vaccine. Another inspection, in June, found that Emergent’s plan for producing desperately needed coronavirus vaccines was inadequate due to poorly trained staff and quality control problems.

Despite Emergent falling short on federal inspections, the Trump administration paid $628 million to the company in June to manufacture coronavirus vaccines.

Reports later emerged that indicated quality control issues at Emergent’s Baltimore plant.

“During the manufacturing process, your company contaminated millions of doses of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot coronavirus vaccine with ingredients from the AstraZeneca vaccine,” the lawmakers wrote.

Emergent was forced to destroy up to 15 million tainted doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and another 62 million doses remained in limbo until it could be determined that they were not affected by the mix-up, they said, citing reporting by The New York Times.

Emergent’s Baltimore plant wasn’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration, so none of the doses produced at that site were ever distributed or made their way into Americans’ arms.

“We are concerned by the costs to taxpayers and the potential impact on our nation’s vaccination efforts caused by Emergent’s failed attempts to manufacture these vaccines,” the lawmakers wrote.

The lawmakers also said they are looking at Emergent’s role as the nation’s sole provider of anthrax vaccine in the Strategic National Stockpile.

“Emergent has raised the government purchasing price of the anthrax vaccine by 800% since acquiring the drug in 1998. As a result, through most of the last decade, nearly half of the SNS’s budget has been spent purchasing Emergent’s anthrax vaccine,” the representatives wrote.

According to the letter, after Kadlec was confirmed in the Trump administration, Emergent received millions of dollars in federal contracts from his agency, including contracts for the stockpile “that were awarded without competitive bidding.”

Emergent encouraged oversight of the stockpile to be transferred from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response, under Kadlec’s control, according to the letter.

Until 2015, Kadlec provided consulting services to Emergent through his company, RPK Consulting. Kadlec was confirmed to lead the office, which is within the Department of Health and Human Services, in 2017.

Kramer and El-Hibri were asked to testify before the subcommittee on May 19 at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
×