Dr. Rick Bright, who filed a whistleblower complaint after being fired from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, testified before the House Energy Health Subcommittee on Thursday. Bright was highly critical of the federal government’s response to the coronavirus. In particular, he was concerned about President Trump’s claim that hydroxychloroquine is a potential cure for the disease, which he said cost him and his colleagues valuable time working on other areas of the virus response. As expected, he was exalted by Democrats and vilified by Republicans during the hearing.
In his opening statement, Dr. Bright warned that if things don’t change, we could be headed toward “the darkest winter in modern history.” Bright insisted in his testimony that his complaints were filed with the best interests of the American people in mind. But Republican members of the committee weren’t so sure, given the chronology of his actions. It wasn’t until March 23, when the White House announced it was pushing for HCQ to be made more widely available without oversight, that he changed his mind about the drug.
Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) said he believes whistleblowers should be respected and heard, but he saw Thursday’s hearing as an attempt to undermine the Trump administration. When Oklahoma Rep. Markwayne Mullin got the microphone, he turned the hearing into a discussion about Bright’s pay. Dr. Bright, who recently got a job at the National Institutes of Health, is currently on medical leave due to high blood pressure. He said it was a “stressful” transition because he was removed from his position without explanation.
However, as Rep. Mullin noted, Bright is still receiving compensation from the NIH. Rep. Mullin wondered why he was here testifying before Congress if he was struggling with an illness?
“I guess I’m a little confused because you say you have high blood pressure, but you were still able to conduct these interviews, write this report, and prepare for this trial,” Mullin noted. “And yet you’re too sick to go to work, but you’re well enough to come here while you’re still receiving pay from the U.S. government.”
I am pleased that Dr. Bright was well enough to testify before Congress today. Unfortunately, his high blood pressure has made him not well enough to report for his fresh job at NIH. photo: twitter.com/P8ZOtTX2Rw
— Markwayne Mullin (@RepMullin) May 14, 2020
Mullin added that he had a “hard time” coming to terms with the fact that Bright did not have those health issues at BARDA, where he was struggling with the stressful task of responding to the pandemic. Bright reiterated that the job change caused him enormous stress.
The NIH announced Thursday that it has begun clinical trials on HCQ and azithromycin to test their effectiveness in fighting COVID-19.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article said Rep. Markwayne Mullin represented Ohio. He represents Oklahoma. We apologize for the error.
