Even public health bureaucracies are fallib.e. Crises are stress tests. They invite scrutiny in places that might otherwise go unexamined. For decades money meant for pandemic preparation was used “the removal of office furniture, administrative expenses, news subscriptions, legal services and the salaries of other department employees.” Nobody ever really saw the pandemic coming. Institutions spend years preparing for a surprise attack that catches them unawares.
A federal watchdog has found that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, which drew national attention last year when the Trump administration fired its director, has been used for the past 10 years as a “slush fund” to cover expenses unrelated to its core mission of fighting health threats like Ebola, Zika and the coronavirus. …
The practice of diverting funds was so common, investigators found, that employees had a name for it: the “Bank of BARDA.”
The report focuses on the actions of the assistant secretary for preparedness and response, the health department official who oversees BARDA and is responsible for its budget. The assistant secretary is responsible for leading the federal response to pandemic threats like the novel coronavirus. Its most recent occupant was Dr. Robert Kadlec; President Biden has not named a successor.