WATCH: Administration 'surprised' by early request for virus resources, whistleblower says

Vaccine expert Rick Bright said his January requests for resources to address the coronavirus pandemic were met with “surprise and puzzlement” from Health and Human Services officials, including HHS Secretary Alex Azar. Bright also discussed his alarm over the difficulty he encountered in getting approval to request virus samples from China that could assist with developing treatments. Bright, the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, testified on Thursday before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s health subcommittee in a hearing dedicated to “protecting scientific integrity” of the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. In a whistleblower complaint filed last week, Bright said he was reassigned to a different position in late April for pushing back against the Trump administration’s virus response strategy. Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour Twitter:   / newshour   Instagram:   / newshour   Snapchat: @pbsnews Subscribe: PBS NewsHour podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe