The agency prepared the report at the request of the House of Representatives’ COVID subcommittee and is expected to publish it soon. GAO, an independent agency tasked by Congress to audit how federal programs are managed, declined to comment on the draft. The report found HHS had not ensured 'it has sufficient workforce capacity' nor arranged 'a schedule to manage the remaining vaccine development, manufacturing and distribution activities,' risking a loss of capabilities. 'Without fully ensuring HHS readiness, HHS and DOD face an increased risk of interruptions in their remaining work, such as addressing ongoing vaccine needs for boosters or for any emerging COVID-19 variants,' the agency wrote. The GAO, however, said 'it is unclear' whether HHS was prepared to take over the program given that a majority of the Pentagon's current responsibilities - including coordinating vaccine distribution, safeguarding the doses, and offering legal advice to federal agencies involved in the effort - had not been transferred to HHS by late last year. In May 2021, the Biden administration ordered HHS to begin assuming responsibilities of the program shared with the Department of Defense (DOD) by the end of 2021, according to the report by Congress’ auditing agency, the Government Accountability Office (GAO). It continues to oversee approval and funding of other potential COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

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