Libertarian candidates criticize Operation Warp Speed and call for shrinking or replacing the FDA

An audience question about the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed prompted a range of critiques from Libertarian presidential hopefuls about the Food and Drug Administration and federal involvement in health regulation.

Chase Oliver said he believed private-market organizations could handle testing for drug safety and efficacy more quickly and transparently than the FDA and advocated removing the government from that role. "We don't need it," he said, arguing for competitive private testing organizations subject to liability.

Jacob Horenberger likewise said he would "get rid of the FDA," describing the campaign as an opportunity to raise public attention about reducing the government's role in health care and broader federal agencies. Some candidates called for investigations into COVID-era decisions and suggested that legal immunities and lack of transparency were problems.

Joshua Smith made more severe allegations about the COVID response and said those responsible should face criminal consequences; other candidates said accountability and separation of science and state are necessary. Mike Termont and Lars Matstead both criticized Operation Warp Speed as a form of cronyism and called for transparency and market accountability.

The exchange combined normative critiques of federal authority with calls for different institutional arrangements — from private testing bodies to full removal of federal agencies — and included calls for investigation or special counsel into COVID-era governance.