Trump Endangering Lives By Rejecting CDC Guidelines In Rush To Reopen
Throughout the coronavirus crisis, Donald Trump has routinely dismissed experts and gone out of his way to eliminate the positions of people who challenge his anti-science rhetoric. Now, Trump is pushing states to reopen while refusing to implement detailed CDC guidelines that would allow them to do so more safely.
This attempt to shield himself from any blame is just another irresponsible decision that will ultimately lead to more deaths and more suffering across the country. Here’s a look what Trump’s doing:
At The Behest Of The Coronavirus Task Force, The CDC Developed Detailed Instructions With Step-By-Step Advice On How And When To Reopen Public Places.
- White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx Asked The CDC To Put Together Detailed Recommendations For Reopening. “’We are used to dealing with a White House that asks for things and then chaos ensues. A team of people at the CDC spent innumerable hours in response to an ask from Debbie Birx,’ said the source. ‘The 17-page report represents an ask from the White House Task Force to come up with these recommendations. That’s our role. To put together this guidance.’” [CNN, 5/7/20]
- The CDC Developed A Detailed Document That Contained Step-By-Step Advice To Local Authorities On How And When To Reopen Public Places. “A document created by the nation’s top disease investigators with step-by-step advice to local authorities on how and when to reopen restaurants and other public places during the still-raging outbreak has been shelved by the Trump administration. The 17-page report by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team, titled ‘Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework,’ was researched and written to help faith leaders, business owners, educators and state and local officials as they begin to reopen.” [Associated Press, 5/7/20]
- The CDC’s Reopening Guidance Contained Industry-Specific Advice On How To Safely Reopen, Advising Restaurants To Use Phone Technology To Alert A Patron When Their Table Was Ready To Avoid Touching And Use Of Buzzers. “For example, the report suggested restaurants and bars should install sneeze guards at cash registers and avoid having buffets, salad bars and drink stations. Similar tips appear on the CDC’s site and a Food and Drug Administration page. But the shelved report also said that as restaurants start seating diners again, they should space tables at least 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart and try to use phone app technology to alert a patron when their table is ready to avoid touching and use of buzzers. That’s not on the CDC’s site now.” [Associated Press, 5/7/20]
But The Trump Administration Refused To Implement The CDC’s Detailed Guidelines For Reopening The Country.
- The CDC’s Detailed Guidelines Were Supposed To Be Published On May 1st, But Agency Scientists Were Told It Would “Never See The Light Of Day.” “It was supposed to be published last Friday, but agency scientists were told the guidance ‘would never see the light of day,’ according to a CDC official. The official was not authorized to talk to reporters and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.” [Associated Press, 5/7/20]
- In A White House Meeting, Trump Chief Of Staff Mark Meadows Dismissed The Guidelines As “Overly Prescriptive.” The Trump administration has rejected detailed guidelines from health experts to help schools, restaurants, churches and other establishments safely reopen, saying they are too prescriptive, according to several administration officials. In a senior staff meeting at the White House last week, Mark Meadows, the chief of staff, expressed concern that the guidelines were ‘overly prescriptive,’ according to a person familiar with the discussion.” [New York Times, 5/7/20]
- The Trump Administration Will Not Implement The CDC’s Guidance. “The Trump administration will not implement the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 17-page draft recommendation for reopening America, a senior CDC official confirmed to CNN Thursday.” [CNN, 5/7/20]
- Though The CDC’s Role Has Traditionally Been To Give Local Officials Guidance And Science-Based Information During Public Health Crises, The Administration Has Been Closely Controlling What Information The Agency Can Release. “The Trump administration has been closely controlling the release of guidance and information during the pandemic spurred by a new coronavirus that scientists are still trying to understand, with the president himself leading freewheeling daily briefings until last week. Traditionally, it’s been the CDC’s role to give the public and local officials guidance and science-based information during public health crises. During this one, however, the CDC has not had a regular, pandemic-related news briefing in nearly two months. CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield has been a member of the White House coronavirus task force, but largely absent from public appearances.” [Associated Press, 5/7/20]
Instead, The Trump Administration Released Intentionally Vague Guidelines For Reopening So They Could Push States To Reopen Against The Advice Of Medical Experts.
- Instead Of Turning To The CDC’s Expertise, The Trump Administration Has Sought To Shift The Onus Of Handling The COVID-19 Response Onto States From The Federal Government. “The Trump administration has instead sought to put the onus on states to handle COVID-19 response. This approach to managing the pandemic has been reflected in President Donald Trump’s public statements, from the assertion that he isn’t responsible for the country’s lackluster early testing efforts, to his description last week of the federal government’s role as a ‘supplier of last resort’ for states in need of testing aid.” [Associated Press, 5/7/20]
- The Washington Post: “Though Administration Health Officials Produced Detailed Guidelines For Reopening, Those Released By Trump Were Intentionally Vague And Devoid Of Clear Metrics, Making It Easier For The President To Avoid Responsibility And Harder For Local Leaders To Interpret.” “And though administration health officials produced detailed guidelines for reopening, those released by Trump were intentionally vague and devoid of clear metrics, making it easier for the president to avoid responsibility and harder for local leaders to interpret. For instance, Trump initially embraced the aggressive reopening plan by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R), only to quickly abandon Kemp after public outcry.” [Washington Post, 5/2/20]
- The White House Stripped Fine-Tuned Details The CDC Had Developed When It Released Vague Guidelines For Reopening. “As the White House prepared to roll out new guidelines for reopening, CDC and FEMA officials sent a 36-page document on April 10 outlining in detail the recommended stages of reopening, including detailed instructions for schools, child-care facilities, summer camps, parks, faith-based organizations and restaurants. But on April 16, when Trump and Birx released their guidelines for a slow and staggered return to normal in places with minimal cases of the coronavirus, many of the details fine-tuned by the CDC were stripped out.” [Washington Post, 5/2/20]
Trump’s Refusal To Implement The CDC Guidelines Endangers Lives, Pushing State And Local Officials To Reopen But Leaving Them In The Dark About How To Do It Safely.
- Without The CDC’s Detailed Instructions, It’s Hard For Restaurants, States, And Other Businesses To Know What Following Social Distancing Guidelines Looks Like In Practice. “‘You can say that restaurants can open and you need to follow social distancing guidelines. But restaurants want to know, ‘What does that look like?’ States would like more guidance,’ said Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.” [Associated Press, 5/7/20]
- Dr. Anthony Fauci Predicted That If States Reopened Without Proper Countermeasures, A Rebound Could “Get Us Right Back In The Same Boat That We Were A Few Weeks Ago.” “‘If by that time we have put into place all of the countermeasures that you need to address this, we should do reasonably well. If we don’t do that successfully, we could be in for a bad fall and a bad winter,’ Fauci said. If states reopen too quickly, Fauci also predicts a rebound could ‘get us right back in the same boat that we were a few weeks ago’ and that there could be more deaths in the country than are currently forecast.” [Washington Post, 4/30/20]