Robert Schmad, Washington Examiner
The Biden administration’s Department of Health and Human Services maintained a secret chat with members of over two dozen liberal advocacy organizations connected to influential donors to coordinate policy implementation and messaging concerning the Inflation Reduction Act, the Washington Examiner has learned.
In February 2024, Sarah Bourland, then a senior policy adviser at HHS, sent an email to representatives from an array of left-of-center organizations titled “Stakeholder Workgroup: IRA & prescription drugs,” according to documents obtained via Freedom of Information Act Request by the Public Health Reform Alliance. The email contains links to HHS talking points and material published by liberal groups praising the Biden administration’s efforts.
Coordination between then-President Joe Biden’s HHS and these organizations extends far beyond a single email, as Bourland alluded to a private “chat” room that health officials and activists communicated through to shape the implementation of the IRA. Government officials have communicated through secure messaging platforms like Telegram and Signal. A source close to the Public Health Reform Alliance told the Washington Examiner that the organization has submitted a follow-up FOIA request for these chat logs.
“The Biden administration used this stakeholder group to project the illusion of public engagement while outsourcing its policy messaging to political operatives,” PHRA Director Martin Hoyt told the Washington Examiner. “It is a profound breach of ethical governance and a betrayal of the American people’s right to transparent, impartial policymaking.”
The Biden administration invited several groups that work directly to help Democrats advance their electoral and legislative goals to join the policy implementation team.