As reported by CBS News, the Biden administration’s Department of Health and Human Services is said to have stealthily redirected funds worth $500 million, which were initially allocated for the advancement of COVID-19 vaccines, into an influenza vaccine project led by a former Trump official.
At the center of this controversial redirection, known as “Generation Gold Standard,” is a decision made without the preliminary federal scientific reviews typically performed at NIH and BARDA. Internal documents suggest that Noah Miller, an aide to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., ordered the funds to be shifted to the BPL influenza vaccine project affiliated with Dr. Matthew Memoli, currently acting at the NIH.
The Chicago-based think tank EWG quickly criticized the decision. With so much funding at stake, the absence of scientific scrutiny raised suspicion. “It seems like there is an agenda at play,” one critic commented. Despite harsh critique, HHS spokesperson Vianca Rodriguez Feliciano defended the decision, stating it represents a necessary course correction away from “more wasteful” Biden-era COVID-driven spending.
“It delivers a cost-effective, accountable alternative,”
Feliciano stated, emphasizing that the funding pivot represents a shift toward
“transparency, effectiveness, and comprehensive preparedness.”
Health Secretary Kennedy added,
“Our commitment is clear: every innovation in vaccine development must be grounded in gold standard science.”
The redirected funds, earmarked for clinical trials, currently lack a detailed outline of how the funding will be managed, but the target date for FDA approval set by officials is 2029.
Also Read: Global Scientists Raise Red Flag on Bird Flu: “The World Can’t Afford Another COVID-Like Mistake”
