Subcommittee Chair Expands Probe into Peter Navarro, Pandemic-Related Contracts

Dec 15, 2020
Press Release

Washington, D.C. (Dec. 15, 2020) Today, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Chairman of the Economic and Consumer Policy Subcommittee, sent a letter to Peter Navarro, Assistant to the President and Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, requesting information about all pandemic-related government contracts in which he played any role.  

 

“Your past performance, especially regarding the ventilator procurement contract, calls into question all other pandemic-related contracts in which you played a role,” said Subcommittee Chair Krishnamoorthi.  “In your response to this Congressional request, I caution you against making false and misleading statements about your involvement in contract negotiations.  Unfortunately, you have made misleading statements on television about this subject.”

 

Today’s letter follows the Subcommittee’s inquiry into a contract Navarro negotiated, which resulted in America’s taxpayers overpaying for ventilators by hundreds of millions of dollars.

 

On July 31, 2020, the Subcommittee issued a staff report detailing the failures of  Peter Navarro in negotiating a $646.7 million ventilator contract on HHS’s behalf with Philips Respironics.  Shortly after the staff report was released, HHS terminated that contract with Philips, saving taxpayers more than $400 million.  HHS has confirmed that the contract is now subject to an internal investigation and legal review.  On August 6, 2020, Chairman Krishnamoorthi asked the HHS Inspector General to open a separate investigation into potential waste, fraud, and abuse, which is underway.

 

The independent Office of Special Counsel has also found that Navarro repeatedly violated the Hatch Act by using his official White House authority for campaign purposes.

 

The Subcommittee demands the documents by December 29, 2020.

 

Click here to read today’s letter.

 

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116th Congress