White House task force recommends rolling back ‘red zone’ state reopenings.
WASHINGTON >> House Democrats are criticizing the White House for blocking the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from testifying at a public hearing on safely reopening the nation’s schools.
Democrats said they invited CDC officials, including director Robert Redfield, to testify at a hearing Thursday but were rebuffed by the White House. A committee spokesperson said the panel asked for any CDC official to testify but was rejected.
Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat who chairs the House Education and Labor Committee, called it alarming that the Trump administration would prevent CDC officials from appearing before the committee “at a time when its expertise and guidance is so critical to the health and safety of students, parents, and educators.’’
The administration’s “lack of transparency does a great disservice to the many communities across the country facing difficult decisions about reopening schools this fall,’’ Scott said.
A White House spokesperson said Friday that Dr. Redfield has testified on Capitol Hill at least four times over the last three months. “We need our doctors focused on the pandemic response,’’ spokesperson Judd Deere said.
The decision to block Redfield’s testimony recalled a similar action preventing Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectiousdisease official, from testifying before a separate House committee earlier this year.