Brian Schatz, the senior U.S. Senator from Hawaii, claimed in a tweet today that “they don’t know what they’re doing” in reference to President Trump and his administration’s handling of the coronavirus. He claims that the virus “is not contained” and that “they are fixated on the politics and the stock market”.
The Coronavirus is not contained. It will not fade in the spring. Trump cut CDC by 9 percent. Trump eliminated the position at the global health security teams at NSC and DHS. They don’t know what they are doing. They are fixated on the politics and the stock market.
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) February 25, 2020
Schatz and other Democrat senators including Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Cory Booker sent a February 13th letter asking the White House to appoint a global health security expert to the NSC. In his tweet, he accuses the President of eliminating the position there and with the DHS.
While Schatz is correct that President Trump’s proposed 2021 budget cuts the CDC by 9 percent, the agency’s budget for infectious disease-related work would be upped to $4.3 billion.
According to Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the Director of the Center for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, a part of the CDC, “It’s not so much of a question of if this will happen in this country anymore but a question of when this will happen.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was one the first to retweet, but she has not yet made a tweet about the coronavirus. Recently, she retweeted a story about a man in Florida who had a high hospital bill after concern he might have the virus after returning from China.
The coronavirus story will also become a health-insurance story in America. This guy went to China, caught the flu, came back, did the responsible thing and reported himself for possible coronavirus — but tested negative and now might have to pay $1,400+. https://t.co/GdDqyODPVw
— Matt Pearce ? (@mattdpearce) February 24, 2020
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