The Department Of Health And Human Services Offers $250 Million For Campaign To Inspire Hope and Instill Confidence To Return To Work, Restart The Economy

According to Politico, a more than $250 million contract has been offered by the Department of Health and Human Services to a communications firm to manage a campaign set to “defeat despair and inspire hope” to workers regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

Weeks prior, the department sent out statements to multiple firms, outlining the expectations expected of the firm that receives the contract.

The objectives of the contract are to “defeat despair and inspire hope, sharing best practices for businesses to operate in the new normal and instill confidence to return to work and restart the economy,” along with building a “‘coalition of spokespeople’ around the country, provide important public health, therapeutic and vaccine information as the country reopens, and give Americans information on the phases of reopening,” the outlet continued.

“By harnessing the power of traditional, digital and social media, the sports and entertainment industries, public health associations, and other creative partners to deliver important public health and economic information, the administration can defeat despair, inspire hope and achieve national recovery,” the work statement says.

HHS is seeking to offer this particular contract to either law enforcement officials, colleges, workplaces, faith organizations, businesses, or childcare programs. Although most are not well-known, a least a dozen companies have expressed their interest in the department’s deal.

The winning contractor will work with HHS’ assistant secretary for public affairs, an office run by Michael Caputo, one of Trump’s former campaign advisors.

Reports of the campaign come as Donald Trump faces nationwide criticism for his management of the coronavirus. He and his supporters have continuously glorified his response to COVID-19, even using the Republic National Conventions last week to ensure voters that he has the pandemic under control.

“We are meeting this challenge,” Trump said of his response to the pandemic as he accepted the GOP presidential nomination last week. “We are delivering life-saving therapies, and we’ll produce a vaccine before the end of the year, or maybe even sooner.”

Two months prior, Trump’s administration was called out by four directors of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for ruining the federal health agency and causing uncertainty on its scientific guidelines.

“Through last week, and into Monday, the administration continued to cast public doubt on the agency’s recommendations and role in informing and guiding the nation’s pandemic response,” former CDC Directors Tom Frieden, Jeffrey Koplan, David Satcher, and Richard Besser said in a Washington Post op-ed. “On Sunday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos characterized the CDC guidelines as an impediment to reopening schools quickly rather than what they are: the path to doing so safely.”