{"id":17041,"date":"2022-01-27T07:52:33","date_gmt":"2022-01-27T12:52:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/?p=17041"},"modified":"2022-02-01T15:00:11","modified_gmt":"2022-02-01T20:00:11","slug":"usa-today-how-the-feds-turned-covid-testing-into-a-fiasco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/2022\/01\/27\/usa-today-how-the-feds-turned-covid-testing-into-a-fiasco\/","title":{"rendered":"USA Today: How The Feds Turned Covid Testing Into a Fiasco"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_17042\" style=\"width: 501px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Covid-test-kit-lines-rockville-1-21-2022-fda-and-moco-logos.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17042\" class=\"wp-image-17042\" src=\"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Covid-test-kit-lines-rockville-1-21-2022-fda-and-moco-logos-800x467.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"491\" height=\"286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Covid-test-kit-lines-rockville-1-21-2022-fda-and-moco-logos-800x467.jpg 800w, https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Covid-test-kit-lines-rockville-1-21-2022-fda-and-moco-logos-1024x597.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Covid-test-kit-lines-rockville-1-21-2022-fda-and-moco-logos-150x88.jpg 150w, https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Covid-test-kit-lines-rockville-1-21-2022-fda-and-moco-logos-768x448.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Covid-test-kit-lines-rockville-1-21-2022-fda-and-moco-logos.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 491px) 100vw, 491px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-17042\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">photo by James Bovard, 2022<\/p><\/div>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/jpb-usa-today-covid-teste-line-revised-late-1-27-22.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-17052\" src=\"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/jpb-usa-today-covid-teste-line-revised-late-1-27-22-800x467.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/jpb-usa-today-covid-teste-line-revised-late-1-27-22-800x467.jpg 800w, https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/jpb-usa-today-covid-teste-line-revised-late-1-27-22-1024x597.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/jpb-usa-today-covid-teste-line-revised-late-1-27-22-150x88.jpg 150w, https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/jpb-usa-today-covid-teste-line-revised-late-1-27-22-768x448.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/jpb-usa-today-covid-teste-line-revised-late-1-27-22.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/h2>\n<h2>USA TODAY,\u00a0 January 27, 2022<\/h2>\n<h1 class=\"gnt_pr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/opinion\/2022\/01\/27\/covid-testing-shortage-blame-fda\/9210788002\/\">Who screwed up COVID-19 testing? Blame Trump, Biden and our health care bureaucracy.<\/a><\/h1>\n<h3 class=\"gnt_pr\">Under Donald Trump, the CDC sent out poorly designed, contaminated tests that recorded false readings. Under Joe Biden, testing is still in shambles.<\/h3>\n<div class=\"gnt_ar_by\">\n<h3>James Bovard Opinion columnist<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">On a bitter cold afternoon last Friday, lines of people awaiting free COVID-19 tests stretched around the block at a public library in Rockville, Maryland. Looking at the scene reminded me of <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/mises.org\/wire\/my-first-time-east-berlin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">seeing\u00a0<\/a>East Germans lined up in endless queues\u00a0to receive their potato and sauerkraut <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1970\/12\/24\/archives\/food-shortages-seen-in-east-germany.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">rations<\/a>. But few of the people docilely waiting in Rockville recognized that their plight was the latest of a long series of federal fiascos hatched by a federal agency <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/about-fda\/jobs-and-training-fda\/buildings-and-facilities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">headquartered<\/a> a few miles away.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/protect-us.mimecast.com\/s\/Wkr6CBBXwLtPMX1YpizuHSs?domain=cbsnews.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">President Donald Trump<\/a> ludicrously proclaimed that \u201canybody that\u00a0wants a test\u00a0can get a test.\u201d That was baloney then and, unfortunately, despite a barrage of political promises in the meantime, it is still malarkey today.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">The failure to provide promised tests<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/04\/09\/politics\/coronavirus-testing-cdc-fda-red-tape-invs\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>, the Food and Drug Administration\u00a0and the Trump administration policymakers<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/health\/health-care\/many-private-labs-want-do-coronavirus-tests-they-re-facing-n1156006\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\"> blocked the speedy development and deployment of private<\/a> testing that could have provided Americans with far better awareness to the perils they faced.\u00a0Instead, the CDC\u00a0sent out <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/12\/15\/health\/cdc-covid-tests-contaminated.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">poorly designed, contaminated tests<\/a> to health departments that gave false readings.\u00a0(<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/protect-us.mimecast.com\/s\/Wkr6CBBXwLtPMX1YpizuHSs?domain=cbsnews.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">Trump boasted those tests<\/a> were \u201cperfect.\u201d)<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-usatoday-native-article_link-opinion-2\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\" data-google-query-id=\"CMOM9p360fUCFYItDAodNtgK3g\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_7103\/usatoday\/native-article_link\/opinion_0__container__\"><iframe id=\"google_ads_iframe_7103\/usatoday\/native-article_link\/opinion_0\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"3rd party ad content\" role=\"region\" name=\"google_ads_iframe_7103\/usatoday\/native-article_link\/opinion_0\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" aria-label=\"Advertisement\" data-google-container-id=\"2\" data-load-complete=\"true\" data-integralas-id-33b17422-b913-7b2a-6ebb-9a793bd79db5=\"\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">As The\u00a0New York Times\u00a0reported last month,\u00a0\u201cThe distribution of\u00a0<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/protect-us.mimecast.com\/s\/9zuOCDkZy9CjnL14NH5OieA?domain=nytimes.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">faulty test kits<\/a>, at a time when no other tests were authorized, set back health officials\u2019 efforts to detect and track the virus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden hammered Trump\u2019s perceived negligence and rallied voters by promising: \u201cI will <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/video\/2020\/oct\/23\/joe-biden-coronavirus-shut-down-video\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">shut down the\u00a0virus.<\/a>&#8221;\u00a0In June 2020, Biden promised to set up a &#8220;<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/protect-us.mimecast.com\/s\/8y9pCG6XB5iW0NmvKhQGX_i?domain=nytimes.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">pandemic testing board<\/a>&#8221;\u00a0along the lines of President Franklin D. Roosevelt\u2019s War Production Board.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-usatoday-native-article_link-opinion-3\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\" data-google-query-id=\"CMSM9p360fUCFYItDAodNtgK3g\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_7103\/usatoday\/native-article_link\/opinion_1__container__\"><iframe id=\"google_ads_iframe_7103\/usatoday\/native-article_link\/opinion_1\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"3rd party ad content\" role=\"region\" name=\"google_ads_iframe_7103\/usatoday\/native-article_link\/opinion_1\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" aria-label=\"Advertisement\" data-google-container-id=\"3\" data-load-complete=\"true\" data-integralas-id-699cab8d-cf05-edb4-172f-29a4f57bdf93=\"\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">A Biden campaign plan promised \u201cto\u00a0<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/protect-us.mimecast.com\/s\/7ELtCJ6K0qip1WRN3SvcU4P?domain=joebiden.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">massively surge a nationwide\u00a0campaign<\/a> and guarantee regular, reliable, and free access to testing.\u201d\u00a0Shortly before Election Day, Biden declared that America needed \u201c<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"http:\/\/protect-us.mimecast.com\/s\/nRuaCKr7JZf8BylVzTGO2rb?domain=edition.cnn.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">faster,\u00a0cheaper screening\u00a0tests<\/a> that you could take right at home or in school. Look, what we have right now isn\u2019t anywhere near good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">In his first week in office, Biden created the<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/protect-us.mimecast.com\/s\/eOGWCL91K8fNmDA6ySrnWqN?domain=whitehouse.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">\u00a0COVID-19 Pandemic Testing Board<\/a>. A week later, Biden promised that congressional enactment of his American Rescue Plan legislation would &#8220;<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/speeches-remarks\/2021\/01\/26\/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-fight-to-contain-the-covid-19-pandemic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">ramp up testing<\/a>.&#8221; In his televised speech on the first anniversary of COVID lockdowns on March 11, Biden promised, \u201cWe continue to work on\u00a0<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/protect-us.mimecast.com\/s\/Ex3rCNkKM9CVEqA4DiyoK8T?domain=whitehouse.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">making at-home\u00a0testing available<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">However, when a team of health agency officials pushed the White House to\u00a0<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/protect-us.mimecast.com\/s\/fEPPCOYXNyh50LJWzhwzqSP?domain=washingtonpost.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">purchase millions of rapid COVID-19\u00a0tests<\/a>, the administration rebuffed the proposal. Then, last July, Biden promised, \u201cWe\u2019re going to\u00a0<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/protect-us.mimecast.com\/s\/kWmpCPNKOZSvo1Op8iQtd5_?domain=whitehouse.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">deploy things like testing\u00a0<\/a>to expand detection of the virus.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">As the delta variant spurred a COVID-19 <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/09\/16\/1037782106\/covid-19-stats-deaths-are-up-delta-variant-may-be-starting-to-wane\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">surge<\/a>, Biden promised in September that he was \u201ctaking steps to make testing more available, more affordable\u201d so that\u00a0\u201cevery American, no matter their income, can\u00a0<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/protect-us.mimecast.com\/s\/LICSCQWKP0IB3180Mu5JZOt?domain=whitehouse.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">access free and\u00a0convenient tests.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">More from James Bovard:<\/strong><a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/opinion\/2022\/01\/07\/biden-vaccine-mandate-nurses\/9093551002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">COVID-positive nurses are in our hospitals. But Biden&#8217;s mandate forbids unvaccinated ones.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The following month, top health experts from Harvard and private foundations pushed the Biden administration to\u00a0purchase 700 million COVID-19 test kits a month to distribute to Americans in December <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/news\/2021\/12\/the-biden-administration-rejected-an-october-proposal-for-free-rapid-tests-for-the-holidays\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">ahead of a winter surge<\/a>. Vanity Fair\u00a0exposed the details of how his officials nixed the plan, but Biden <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/white-house-press-confront-biden-vanity-fair-report-covid-testing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">denied<\/a> last month that he had rejected such a proposal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">A Biden administration official told The\u00a0<em>Washington Post<\/em>\u00a0that \u201cWhite House\u00a0<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/protect-us.mimecast.com\/s\/fEPPCOYXNyh50LJWzhwzqSP?domain=washingtonpost.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">health aides believed<\/a>\u00a0that once Americans were vaccinated, few would need testing.\u201d The administration\u2019s blunders were compounded because the CDC\u00a0<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/protect-us.mimecast.com\/s\/Gqi_CVO2XPh05n7GNIO_RDk?domain=washingtonpost.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">first\u00a0ignored and then downplayed<\/a>\u00a0the surge in infections among fully vaccinated Americans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The Biden team continued to offer wishful thinking in lieu of tests. At a White House briefing on Dec. 7, Biden COVID czar Jeff Zients proclaimed, \u201cEveryone in America <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/protect-us.mimecast.com\/s\/EyohCW6KY7izPL2JRUoRtq1?domain=whitehouse.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">has\u00a0access to free testing<\/a>\u00a0in an efficient and effective way, and we\u2019ve developed multiple access points for free testing.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">Public control of distribution is failing<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">After chaos broke out in December with soaring infection rates and severe shortages of testing, Biden declared on Jan. 4: \u201cI know this remains frustrating \u2013\u00a0believe me, it\u2019s frustrating to me \u2013\u00a0but we\u2019re making improvements (on testing).\u00a0Look, we have more capacity for in-person tests, and we should see\u00a0<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/protect-us.mimecast.com\/s\/715JCXDXZofBqP1wVuGLeGh?domain=whitehouse.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">waiting lines shorten<\/a>\u00a0and more appointments freed up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Biden boasted of <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WhiteHouse\/status\/1480639293756522502?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">requiring private insurance companies<\/a> to reimburse people for the cost of at-home tests, but that is scant consolation to people who cannot find tests anywhere.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The U.S. Postal Service will begin delivering COVID-19 test kits to Americans who filed online requests, but they will arrive long after the omicron variant<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/health\/2022\/01\/16\/djokovic-australia-appeal-covid-updates\/6548256001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\"> set records for infections<\/a> and disrupted Americans\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong>Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government has relied on a command-and-control approach that minimizes private innovation and maximizes dependency on federal<\/strong> bureaucrats.\u00a0As ProPublica recently detailed, \u201c<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/this-scientist-created-a-rapid-test-just-weeks-into-the-pandemic-heres-why-you-still-cant-get-it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">Many\u00a0companies with at-home\u00a0tests have been stymied<\/a> by an FDA review process that has flummoxed experts and even caused one agency reviewer to quit in frustration.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-usatoday-native-article_link-opinion-4\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\" data-google-query-id=\"CPH__Z360fUCFYItDAodNtgK3g\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_7103\/usatoday\/native-article_link\/opinion_2__container__\"><iframe id=\"google_ads_iframe_7103\/usatoday\/native-article_link\/opinion_2\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"3rd party ad content\" role=\"region\" name=\"google_ads_iframe_7103\/usatoday\/native-article_link\/opinion_2\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-forms allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" aria-label=\"Advertisement\" data-google-container-id=\"4\" data-load-complete=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">David Paltiel, a professor at the Yale School of Public Health,\u00a0groused, \u201cIt\u2019s an\u00a0<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/this-scientist-created-a-rapid-test-just-weeks-into-the-pandemic-heres-why-you-still-cant-get-it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">outrage that rapid\u00a0tests aren\u2019t dirt cheap<\/a> and plentiful on grocery store shelves\u201d \u2013\u00a0as they are in South Korea and many other nations where private companies were not paralyzed by pointless bureaucratic edicts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Scott Lincicome, a Duke Law School lecturer, recently noted in Barron\u2019s that the latest \u201cfix\u201d is \u201cis actually <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/protect-us.mimecast.com\/s\/6NZiCZ6G2ViPDqEJri8eB1H?domain=barrons.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">the\u00a0president\u2019s sixth promise<\/a>\u00a0to subsidize and plan our way to testing abundance.\u201d\u00a0Germany permits sales of more than 60 rapid COVID-19\u00a0tests, \u201cincluding several made in the United States for export only.\u201d\u00a0Germans can easily buy tests for a dollar while many Americans can\u2019t find and purchase a test at any price.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The FDA has \u201cnever been enthusiastic about letting people test themselves,&#8221;\u00a0ProPublica reports. &#8220;In the 1980s, <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/this-scientist-created-a-rapid-test-just-weeks-into-the-pandemic-heres-why-you-still-cant-get-it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">the FDA banned home tests for HIV<\/a> on the grounds that people who tested positive might do harm to themselves if they did not receive simultaneous counseling. In the 2010s, the agency cracked down on\u00a0home genetic testing\u00a0kits, concerned that people might make rash medical decisions as a result.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">David Kessler, who is Biden\u2019s chief science officer for COVID-19 response, epitomized this mindset with his declaration in 1992 when he was FDA commissioner: \u201cIf members of our society were\u00a0<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/protect-us.mimecast.com\/s\/MduxC1wpXrhnkA1V2cEqcOp?domain=cei.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">empowered to make\u00a0their own decisions<\/a>\u00a0\u2026 then the whole rationale for the (FDA)\u00a0would cease to exist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong>Unfortunately, few Americans recognize the FDA\u00a0fingerprints on the COVID-19 testing debacle. Federal health agencies have had more blunders than practically anyone expected during this pandemic. The least that Uncle Sam can do is get out of the way of private efforts to help Americans recognize the risks in their own lives.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>James Bovard, author of <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Attention-Deficit-Democracy-James-Bovard-ebook\/dp\/B00TDQ1SJO\/ref=sr_1_2?ots=1&amp;slotNum=0&amp;imprToken=44b94cab-36d7-b0a9-f60&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1509052899&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=attention+deficit+democracy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">&#8220;Attention Deficit Democracy,&#8221;<\/a> is a member of USA TODAY\u2019s Board of Contributors. Follow him on Twitter: <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JimBovard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">@JimBovard<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>USA TODAY,\u00a0 January 27, 2022 Who screwed up COVID-19 testing? Blame Trump, Biden and our health care bureaucracy. Under Donald Trump, the CDC sent out poorly designed, contaminated tests that recorded false readings. Under Joe Biden, testing is still in shambles. James Bovard Opinion columnist On a bitter cold afternoon last Friday, lines of people [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2124,2527,2349,2306,402,45,3152,708],"class_list":["post-17041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-biden","tag-cdc","tag-covid","tag-david-kessler","tag-fda","tag-freedom","tag-test","tag-trump"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>USA Today: How The Feds Turned Covid Testing Into a Fiasco - James Bovard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The shortage of Covid-19 rapid tests is the result of idiotic federal regulations that blindfolded Americans who faced deadly perils\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/2022\/01\/27\/usa-today-how-the-feds-turned-covid-testing-into-a-fiasco\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"USA Today: How The Feds Turned Covid Testing Into a Fiasco - 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