Maryland Governor Larry Hogan: “The Trump Administration Bungled the Effort.”
Former Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney: “We Still Have a Testing Problem in This Country.”
As the United States nears 3.5 million infections, new cases surge seemingly without bound, morgues hit capacity, and President Trump’s poll numbers plummet, Republicans are once again breaking with the administration on a crucial aspect of its (failed) coronavirus response: testing.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, today writing that governors were left to “sink or swim” on testing, is the latest in a line of Republicans recognizing that the President failed to protect Americans, and that testing efforts nationwide are woefully inadequate.
Republicans and Trump Allies Are Sounding the Alarm as Testing Efforts Nationwide Struggle to Keep Up With the Surge in Infections
- Maryland Republican Governor Larry Hogan: “I’m A GOP Governor. Why Didn’t Trump Help My State With Coronavirus Testing?” [Washington Post, 7/16/20]
- Maryland Republican Governor Larry Hogan On Testing: “The Trump Administration Bungled The Effort.” “So many nationwide actions could have been taken in those early days but weren’t. While other countries were racing ahead with well-coordinated testing regimes, the Trump administration bungled the effort. The test used by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention early on was fraught with inaccuracies, and onerous regulations hindered the nation’s private labs. The resulting disorganization would delay mass testing for almost two months and leave the nation largely in the dark as the epidemic spread. Meanwhile, instead of listening to his own public health experts, the president was talking and tweeting like a man more concerned about boosting the stock market or his reelection plans.” [Washington Post, 7/16/20]
- Trump Sycophant And Fox & Friends Host Brian Kilmeade Acknowledged That There Was A “Huge Testing Issue” In The United States. “Tuesday morning the pile-on continued as ‘Fox & Friends’ host Brian Kilmeade acknowledged a ‘huge testing issue,’ as well as a growing scarcity of personal protective equipment as virus cases surge once more. ‘What he can do, what the president can do, and what his administration can do is make sure those aren’t an issue. I mean it’s been four or five months. It should not be an issue,’ Kilmeade said.” [Politico, 7/14/20]
- Former Acting White House Chief Of Staff Mick Mulvaney: “We Still Have A Testing Problem In This Country.” “I know it isn’t popular to talk about in some Republican circles, but we still have a testing problem in this country. My son was tested recently; we had to wait 5 to 7 days for results. My daughter wanted to get tested before visiting her grandparents, but was told she didn’t qualify. That is simply inexcusable at this point in the pandemic.” [CNBC Opinion, Mick Mulvaney, 7/13/20]
- Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC): “We Just Don’t Have Enough Testing In Real Time For The Population As A Whole.” “In a visit to a South Carolina hospital later in the day, Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s staunchest allies on the Hill, said a lack of timely testing was one of the key issues raised during his visit. ‘We just don’t have enough testing in real time for the population as a whole,’ he said, suggesting the White House could invoke the Defense Production Act to compel companies to produce testing supplies or incentivize pool testing. ‘I would advise the task force to do whatever they can to ramp up the components of testing,’ Graham urged, noting that for kids to return safely to school as soon as next month, ‘you’re going to need more testing — not less.’” [Politico, 7/14/20]
Republicans Have Broken With Trump on Testing in the Past: When Trump Threatened to Slow Testing Down, Republicans Spoke Up
- Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN): “We Need To Keep Focusing On Increased Testing.” “As Trump questions the utility of testing and mask wearing and may or may not be joking about slowing tests down, it’s clear many GOP senators don’t view it as a laughing matter — particularly as they hold out hope of a brisk economic recovery. ‘We need to keep focusing on increased testing, speed up treatments and bring the vaccines as quickly as we can,’ said Senate HELP Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) ‘That’s really the only solution for the disease.’” [Politico, 6/25/20]
- Senator John Thune (R-SD): “We Need Tests And We Need … Millions Of Them, Tens Of Millions Of Them.” “President Trump sparked days of confusion when he said over the weekend that he had asked staff to ‘slow down the testing, please.’ On Tuesday, he muddied the water further by arguing fewer tests would result in recording fewer cases… ‘No, no, no. We need tests and we need … millions of them, tens of millions of them, especially when we start opening up this fall,’ said Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) when asked if the country could reduce testing.” [The Hill, 6/24/20]
- Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) Pushed Back On The President’s Decision To End Funding For Testing Sites In Texas. “The Trump administration will end federal funding for 13 community-based coronavirus testing sites by the end of June as part of a previously announced plan to extend financial support for Covid-19 testing across the nation by other means… But Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, is pushing back against the decision by the administration to withdraw from direct funding to the sites. A Cruz spokesman told NBC News that the senator ‘has urged and will continue to urge [health officials] to extend the community testing sites in Texas.’” [CNBC, 6/24/20]