White House orders FDA chief to authorize Pfizer vaccine by end of Friday or resign
WASHINGTON, DC -- The White House on Friday told the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration to submit his resignation if the agency does not grant emergency use authorization of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine by day's end.
That's according to a report by the Washington Post, which quotes sources as saying the FDA has sped up its timetable to clear the vaccine as a result of the order. Commissioner Stephen Hahn had reportedly been on course for a Saturday approval.
Other sources also confirmed to the Associated Press that the White House was pressuring Hahn.
The developments came as President Trump tweeted that the FDA is “a big, old, slow turtle” in its handling of vaccines, telling Hahn to “get the dam vaccines out NOW.”
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows acknowledged to NBC News that he had requested an update from the FDA on the vaccine's progress, but called the Post's report an "untrue representation" of the discussion he had with Hahn.
Observers said given that the authorization was already on a fast track with a weekend announcement expected, moving the schedule forward by a day was unlikely to get the Pfizer vaccine distributed any quicker.
