Gottlieb left the Food and Drug Administration in 2019 but has maintained a high—and influential—profile. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he has been active in the media—both traditional and social—talking about a host of challenges facing the nation, from the supply chain to the importance of a test-trace-isolate protocol. Gottlieb, along with former CMS acting Administrator Andy Slavitt, advanced a $46 billion plan that would help states carry out such an effort.