MAHA Official Reportedly Fired Following Messy Rollout Of mRNA Vaccine Policy Pivot
An official overseeing implementation of the Make America Healthy Again agenda at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been fired following the awkward rollout of a pivot away from mRNA vaccines…
An official overseeing implementation of the Make America Healthy Again agenda at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been fired following the awkward rollout of a pivot away from mRNA vaccines, according to the pharmaceutical trade publication Endpoints News.
Gray Delany, head of MAHA implementation at HHS, has been let go, according to the report. Delany now describes himself as the “former director of MAHA implementation” at HHS on X.
The action caps days of confusion over the Trump administration’s position on federal mRNA contracts and apparent tension between HHS and the White House on pharmaceutical policy. The messy announcement prompted Trump advisor Steve Bannon to call for a “whole new comms” at HHS, according to Endpoints.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Aug. 5 that HHS was winding down the mRNA portfolio of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, the research and development arm of the pandemic response office. HHS said it was pivoting to other platforms it described as “evidence-based, ethically grounded solutions,” including whole-virus vaccines. The 22 stalled projects totaled nearly $500 million, HHS said.
HHS didn’t respond to a request for comment.
When asked about the pivot on Aug. 6, President Donald Trump signaled a desire for new approaches while praising Operation Warp Speed, the 2020 sprint in his first administration to develop vaccines against COVID-19. These investments included two mRNA vaccines manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer. Trump signaled there would be a meeting about the contracts on Aug. 7.