The Department of Health and Human Services misused millions of dollars budgeted for vaccine research and public health emergencies, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel alleged Wednesday.
An investigation by the HHS inspector general corroborated a whistleblower's claims of violations that took place under the Obama and Trump administrations.
Federal funds earmarked for vaccine development and public health emergencies such as Ebola, Zika, and the COVID-19 pandemic instead were used for office furniture removal, news subscriptions and other administrative expenses by an agency within HHS since at least 2010.
A letter from special counsel Henry Kerner detailing the inspector general's findings was sent to President Joe Biden and Congress on Wednesday, per Axios.
The investigation followed an anonymous whistleblower's complaint in 2018 the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response misused millions of dollars that had been targeted for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to respond emergencies such as outbreaks of Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19, per CNN.
The misuse of funds was so prevalent at ASPR, Kerner wrote, "that there was a name for it within the agency: 'Bank of BARDA.'"
The inspector general's more than 200-page report did not say exactly how much money was misused. However, it "contains evidence that – as recently as (fiscal year) 2019 – approximately $25 to $26 million" was taken from BARDA's funding and improperly used for ASPR expenses, Kerner wrote.
According to the investigation's findings, BARDA paid $897,491 between fiscal years 2013 and 2017 for the salaries of staff who did not actually work for the agency.
BARDA has played a critical role in responding to the coronavirus pandemic, and was partly responsible for helping develop at least two vaccines in record time under former President Donald Trump's Operation Warp Speed.
Kerner said he was "deeply concerned" about the misuse of funds during an emergency such as the current pandemic.
"Equally concerning is how widespread and well-known this practice appeared to be for nearly a decade," he wrote.
Kerner said HHS was conducting an internal review to determine whether it violated the Antideficiency Act, another law related to misuse of federal funds.
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