Posted by Tina
Another Obama administration scandal is brewing. This time Democrat Senator Claire McCaskill is taking the lead in asking for an investigation into a no-bid contract award. You may recall a May 2011 announcement about the award for a smallpox antiviral vaccine:
New York-based SIGA Technologies has signed a 5-year, $433 million contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to deliver two million courses of the company’s smallpox antiviral, ST-246, to the Strategic National Stockpile; the contract includes options that would raise the contract’s total value to approximately $2.8 billion if these options are fully exercised.
According to a recent New York Post article, the requirement was that the contract be awarded to a small business. However, under suspicious circumstances, it was awarded instead to SIGNA. A small business bidder complained and the the contract was cancelled. The job was subsequently given to SIGNA in a no-bid award. This deal becomes even more interesting as we learn that the principle investor in SIGA Technologies is a top Democrat donor, Ron Perlman. It is further reported that ex-SEIU president Andy Stern received SIGA stock options when he joined SIGA’s Board of Directors. SIGA stock was set to increase significantly making it a sweet deal for these insiders. The injury to insult for taxpayers is that the drug has not been tested on humans and is more expensive than the antiviral now in use.
You couldn’t be more wrong! It is only a scandal if a republican is in office. For democrats this is just standard operating procedure.