DeLauro Statement on Trump Officials Interfering with CDC Coronavirus Reports

NEW HAVEN, C.T. —Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) released the following statement on the Trump administration's interference in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) weekly scientific reports charting the progress of the coronavirus pandemic:

"The report that the President's politically appointed communications aides installed at HHS are overruling the CDC—once regarded as the world's preeminent public health agency in the world—and continuing to carry out the President's lying about the COVID-19 pandemic are disturbing but not shocking. They are simply the latest addition to the list of atrocities this president and his administration have committed that have cost nearly 200,000 deaths.

"If the President and his administration wanted an optimistic message amidst this outbreak, then he should have taken the opportunity to show some leadership and tackle this pandemic head-on. Instead, he has called it a hoax, has said it will just go away, and has failed to put into place plans to increase our PPE supply and to be ready for vaccine production and distribution once a safe and effective vaccine has been approved. It did not have to be this way. Scientists and public health experts urged us to take the steps necessary to prevent so many deaths, and the President failed the nation because of his hubris.

"I want to thank the CDC staff, that despite intimidation from Trump's political communications hires, are fighting to ensure that the truth is out there in their reporting and guidance. It is not easy to fight back, and I say to you, do not back down. I have your back in Congress and my colleagues do too. The American people can handle the truth, and we must face the reality so we can move forward and end this pandemic. Burying our heads in the sand is not a solution."