Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Another corrupt twist in the Tommy Thompson legacy:
An unqualified crony in charge of public health emergency preparedness
The National Response Plan (NRP), whose formulation was headed by the Department of Homeland Security, is intended to serve as the blueprint to the response to a host of possible disasters and terrorist attacks. The NRP contains several annexes which serve as situation-based response plans called Emergency Support Functions. "Function #8 ? is the Public Health and Medical Services Annex and it taks the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) leadership in responding to a health crisis, such as a flu pandemic, through the Assistant Scretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness (ASPHEP).
Our current ASPHEP is Stewart Simonson, who like Michael Brown at FEMA is a lawyer who was close to a political benefactor. Simonson graduated from the University of Wisconsin law school in 1994 and served as legal counsel to Tommy Thompson while he was governor of Wisconsin from 1995 to 1999. Simonson then followed Thompson to Washington when the governor was appointed as head of HHS. Simonson’s bio at HHS states that "from 2001-2003, he was the HHS Deputy General Counsel and provided legal advice and counsel to the Secretary on public health preparedness matters. Prior to joining HHS, Simonson served as corporate secretary and counsel for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK)."
Congressman Henry Waxman has recently pointed to Simonson as an example where Bush has "repeatedly appointed inexperienced individuals with political connections to important government posts, including positions with key responsibilities for public health and safety."
In addition to being very close to Thompson, Simonson has given generously to the Bush political machine. The website, Political Money Line’s contribution database shows that he contributed $3,000 to various Bush-Cheney committees in the 2004 election cycle and gave $250 to the RNC.
The Washington Drug Letter published an article in its December 2004 issue in which Hauer was harshly critical of Simonson:
Speaking as part of a biodefense panel in Washington, D.C. Dec. 15, Jerome Hauer, formerly the Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness (ASPHEP) at HHS, said the $877 million contract awarded to VaxGen to produce a new anthrax vaccine was insufficient. He also insinuated poor policymaking has left the country vulnerable to terrorist attacks using weapons of mass destruction.
Hauer faulted the current management at the ASPHEP Office, including acting secretary Stewart Simonson, for not being better prepared to handle its duties. He called for the creation of a new federal office to coordinate U.S. biodefense activities.. . ."The decisions being made do not appear to have a sound basis," said Hauer, currently senior vice president of government relations for consulting firm Fleishman-Hillard.
Last spring, Simonson came under fire from several Republican senators. The first was by Idaho Senator Larry Craig before the Homeland Security Subcommittee in April who questioned the acquisition process for influenza vaccine:
Noting that the flu can be lethal to some populations such as the elderly, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, said the country was unprepared to deal with a possible flu pandemic.
Simonson . . . stopped short of agreeing with Craig’s assessment, but said "it would pose an enormous challenge."
Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and Gregg also questioned if the process used by Simonson’s office to award vaccine development contracts ensured open competition and delivery to prevent a vaccine shortfall. "Are we creating the same situation with anthrax?" Gregg asked, referring to the flu vaccine shortfall last winter.
Although Simonson said the different agreements show that they are "seeking not to put all our eggs in one basket," he added that he remains unsure if the contract award process is being done right. "We’re learning as we go," he said.
The bottom line is that there is a risk of a flu pandemic that could kill millions of people worldwide if it is able to jump from human to human. Hurricane Katrina amply demonstrated what happens when underqualified yet well-connected lawyers are in charge.
The National Response Plan (NRP), whose formulation was headed by the Department of Homeland Security, is intended to serve as the blueprint to the response to a host of possible disasters and terrorist attacks. The NRP contains several annexes which serve as situation-based response plans called Emergency Support Functions. "Function #8 ? is the Public Health and Medical Services Annex and it taks the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) leadership in responding to a health crisis, such as a flu pandemic, through the Assistant Scretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness (ASPHEP).
Our current ASPHEP is Stewart Simonson, who like Michael Brown at FEMA is a lawyer who was close to a political benefactor. Simonson graduated from the University of Wisconsin law school in 1994 and served as legal counsel to Tommy Thompson while he was governor of Wisconsin from 1995 to 1999. Simonson then followed Thompson to Washington when the governor was appointed as head of HHS. Simonson’s bio at HHS states that "from 2001-2003, he was the HHS Deputy General Counsel and provided legal advice and counsel to the Secretary on public health preparedness matters. Prior to joining HHS, Simonson served as corporate secretary and counsel for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK)."
Congressman Henry Waxman has recently pointed to Simonson as an example where Bush has "repeatedly appointed inexperienced individuals with political connections to important government posts, including positions with key responsibilities for public health and safety."
In addition to being very close to Thompson, Simonson has given generously to the Bush political machine. The website, Political Money Line’s contribution database shows that he contributed $3,000 to various Bush-Cheney committees in the 2004 election cycle and gave $250 to the RNC.
The Washington Drug Letter published an article in its December 2004 issue in which Hauer was harshly critical of Simonson:
Speaking as part of a biodefense panel in Washington, D.C. Dec. 15, Jerome Hauer, formerly the Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness (ASPHEP) at HHS, said the $877 million contract awarded to VaxGen to produce a new anthrax vaccine was insufficient. He also insinuated poor policymaking has left the country vulnerable to terrorist attacks using weapons of mass destruction.
Hauer faulted the current management at the ASPHEP Office, including acting secretary Stewart Simonson, for not being better prepared to handle its duties. He called for the creation of a new federal office to coordinate U.S. biodefense activities.. . ."The decisions being made do not appear to have a sound basis," said Hauer, currently senior vice president of government relations for consulting firm Fleishman-Hillard.
Last spring, Simonson came under fire from several Republican senators. The first was by Idaho Senator Larry Craig before the Homeland Security Subcommittee in April who questioned the acquisition process for influenza vaccine:
Noting that the flu can be lethal to some populations such as the elderly, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, said the country was unprepared to deal with a possible flu pandemic.
Simonson . . . stopped short of agreeing with Craig’s assessment, but said "it would pose an enormous challenge."
Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and Gregg also questioned if the process used by Simonson’s office to award vaccine development contracts ensured open competition and delivery to prevent a vaccine shortfall. "Are we creating the same situation with anthrax?" Gregg asked, referring to the flu vaccine shortfall last winter.
Although Simonson said the different agreements show that they are "seeking not to put all our eggs in one basket," he added that he remains unsure if the contract award process is being done right. "We’re learning as we go," he said.
The bottom line is that there is a risk of a flu pandemic that could kill millions of people worldwide if it is able to jump from human to human. Hurricane Katrina amply demonstrated what happens when underqualified yet well-connected lawyers are in charge.
