WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, wrote to Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raising concerns about the CDC recently awarding Pfizer two contracts for its mRNA COVID-19 vaccines valued at approximately $1.24 billion.
In conjunction with the letter, Chairman Johnson released a December 5, 2025 email, in which FDA officials recommended changing the label on mRNA COVID-19 vaccines to include “myocarditis with fatal outcomes.” Chairman Johnson raised questions about the extent to which this proposed label change was considered by other FDA officials, particularly in light of the new Pfizer vaccine contracts.
The letter also revealed that in late 2025, FDA officials initially assessed ten cases of pediatric deaths to be probably or possibly connected to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Communications enclosed in the chairman’s letter show FDA officials discussing their plans to eventually reduce the number of pediatric deaths probably or possibly connected to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines which was then reflected in their December 5, 2025 memo. Chairman Johnson released that memo as an enclosure in his May 11, 2026 letter to HHS.
“The decision to award these contracts raises questions about CDC’s commitment to vaccine safety,” Chairman Johnson wrote.
“The safety issues with the COVID-19 injections that the Subcommittee has uncovered so far should have raised serious concerns at HHS and CDC about the mRNA COVID-19 injections. Instead, CDC’s reported awarding of approximately $1.24 billion in new contracts to Pfizer for a vaccine linked to serious adverse events—including potentially the deaths of children—suggests CDC continues to fail to take its vaccine safety responsibilities seriously,” Chairman Johnson concluded.
Read more about the chairman’s letter in The Daily Caller.
