"Introduction ... In August 2020, as Operation Warp Speed (OWS) was in the final stages of vaccine trials, the HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA) initiated a COVID-19 public education campaign called the 'We Can Do This' Campaign to shape the public’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including vaccine uptake, masking, social distancing and booster vaccine uptake. To execute this Campaign, ASPA awarded three task orders to FMG [Fors Marsh Group] through the 'Public Information and Communication Services II' (PICS II) contract vehicle. While ASPA initiated the Campaign, FMG adhered to COVID-19-related guidance and recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) when developing content for the Campaign ...
Based on reports shared with the Committee, FMG spent on average over $20 million per month for the design and execution of the Campaign. In its proposal for the task order, the company asserted that it could benefit ASPA by using a strategic mix of paid and earned media with exclusive radio partnerships, research-based messaging, and reinforced messaging from trusted influencers, celebrities, and sports figures. FMG’s Campaign strategies were grounded in several theories of behavior change and communication, 'with the expectation that exposure to Campaign messages prompts change in cognitions antecedent to Campaign-targeted behavior.' The health belief model, used by the Campaign, posits that 'a person’s belief in a personal threat of an illness or disease together with a person’s belief in the effectiveness of the recommended health behavior or action will predict the likelihood the person will adopt the behavior' ...
A. Objectives of the Report and Summary of Findings: The overall goal of this report is to understand why, with the extent of these resources, the Campaign and the Biden-Harris administration’s response to the pandemic resulted in a collapse of the public’s trust in public health messaging. Much of the scientific content directly featured in or alluded to in Campaign ads and other promotional material was drawn from CDC recommendations, guidance, and research, critical parts of which proved to be deeply flawed. The CDC’s errors and failures to update recommendations and guidance were reflected in the 'We Can Do This' ads and promotional materials:
- CDC’s guidance, which the Campaign relied on, went beyond the terms of FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to state, without evidence, that COVID vaccines were highly effective against transmission. This ultimately had a negative impact on vaccine confidence and the CDC’s credibility when proven untrue.
- The CDC had inconsistent and flawed messaging about the effectiveness of masks.
- The CDC consistently overstated the risk of COVID-19 to children.
- The CDC continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccines for all Americans ages six months and older, which has made the United States a global outlier in COVID-19 policy.
B. Summary of Recommendations: Americans cannot afford another botched government response to a future pandemic. In order to prevent a recurrence of HHS’s failures in public relations management for the COVID-19 pandemic response and to strengthen the nation’s public health preparedness system, the Committee makes the following recommendations:
- Congress should consider formally authorizing the CDC and clearly define the agency’s core mission.
- HHS and its agencies should abide by the FDA’s product labeling guidelines. HHS and its agencies should be barred from promoting information regarding an FDA-regulated product that does not reflect the FDA-approved label.
- Congress should consider clarifying responsibility for evaluating the safety of vaccines and streamline existing reporting systems for capturing vaccine injuries and adverse reactions.
- HHS and its agencies should embrace a culture of transparency and accountability.
- HHS and public health officials should not attempt to silence dissenting scientific opinions."