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Lowey, DeLauro Condemn Trump Administration’s Partisan Games During COVID-19 Pandemic

May 2, 2020

Washington, DC-(May 2, 2020) House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey (D-NY) and Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) released the following statement after the White House announced Dr. Anthony Fauci would testify before Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee after blocking his appearance before the House Appropriations Committee:

"The White House's decision to allow Dr. Fauci to testify in the Republican-controlled Senate but not before the House Appropriations Committee is letting politics overtake public health. There is no distinction between our two co-equal legislative bodies. The COVID-19 pandemic should not and cannot become a partisan issue – there are too many lives at risk. We are all Americans first. But the White House's partisan politics are clearly at play in this decision during our nation's most challenging public health and economic crisis, and that is both alarming and offensive to the work the American people have elected us to do.

"As House appropriators — entrusted with the Constitutional authority to originate government funding — we are seeking expert advice on how to best tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and save lives. Former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Tom Frieden's and Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Dr. Caitlin Rivers's insights will undoubtedly help us towards that goal on Wednesday, and we sincerely appreciate their time and their service to our country. Still, our Committee benefits from the expertise of both former and current government officials, and there is no doubt Dr. Fauci's wisdom would be helpful in coordinating our approach instead of leaving that latter role empty."