In May 2021, María Elvira Salazar opposed the Biden administration's proposal to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines, arguing it would weaken incentives for U.S. companies to develop new vaccines and fail to improve immediate global supply (Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald).
Salazar expressed concerns that waiving vaccine IP protections could undermine U.S. research and development efforts and expose companies to unfair competition, especially from state-backed industries in China and Russia.
In October 2021, Salazar joined other lawmakers in demanding answers from Dr. Anthony Fauci regarding reported drug tests on dogs, questioning the necessity and ethics of the procedures (Miami Herald).
She criticized taxpayer funding of puppy experiments, describing them as a "reprehensible misuse" of public resources and expressing outrage over allegedly cruel treatment of animals in federally funded research.
Salazar's positions indicate a pattern of prioritizing protection of U.S. biotech innovation and voicing strong oversight of taxpayer-funded scientific research practices.
May 2021: Salazar Opposed Biden Administration's Waiver Of Vaccine Intellectual Property Protections According to Miami Herald, "Republicans, including Salazar, said they oppose the decision because it undermines incentives for U.S. companies to spend money and time to develop vaccines. 'This decision does not immediately improve the global supply of vaccines, which are desperately needed in hardest-hit countries,' Salazar said on May 7. 'Moreover, it will undermine the protection U.S. companies need to facilitate research and development, invest in miracle cures, and protect against manipulation from state-backed industries in China and Russia.'" [Miami Herald, 5/14/21]
May 2021: Salazar Se Opuso A Renuncia De Propiedad Intelectual Sobre Vacunas COVID-19 According to El Nuevo Herald, "Republicanos, incluida Salazar, dijeron que se oponen a la decisión porque socava los incentivos para que las empresas estadounidenses destinen dinero y tiempo al desarrollo de vacunas. 'Esta decisión no mejora inmediatamente el suministro mundial de vacunas, que se necesitan desesperadamente en los países más afectados', dijo Salazar el 7 de mayo. 'Además, socavará la protección que las empresas estadounidenses necesitan para facilitar la investigación y el desarrollo, invertir en curas milagrosas y protegerse de la manipulación de las industrias con respaldo estatal en China y Rusia'." [El Nuevo Herald, 5/15/21]
October 2021: María Elvira Salazar Signed Letter Demanding Answers On Puppy Experiments From Fauci According to Miami Herald, "Republican U.S. Reps. Carlos Gimenez and Maria Elvira Salazar signed a letter addressed to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the NIAID director and public face of the federal government's COVID-19 response efforts, demanding answers on why drug tests were performed on dogs. They also wanted to know why the U.S. government reportedly received an invoice for a procedure to cut the dogs' vocal cords during the medical experiments." [Miami Herald, 10/25/21]
October 2021: María Elvira Salazar Called Taxpayer Funding Of Puppy Experiments A "Reprehensible Misuse" According to Miami Herald, "'This cruel procedure ... seems to have been performed so that the experimenters would not have to listen to the pained cries of the beagle puppies,' Gimenez and Salazar wrote in a letter that was organized by South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace and signed by Republicans and Democrats. 'This is a reprehensible misuse of taxpayer funds.'" [Miami Herald, 10/25/21]