The House Committee on Oversight and Reform demanded documentation from the Trump administration that details the “multiple missteps” that took place when rolling out the coronavirus test kits.
In a letter sent Thursday, the committee reiterated its request from March 3 for documentation from the White House about its response to the coronavirus but noted that they had limited the request to address only the administration’s handling of the production and distribution of coronavirus test kits.
“Although the Administration has promised that testing will be more widely available, these delays prevent health officials across the country from determining the true scope of the crisis now—when it matters most. These claims also directly contradict multiple prior claims by President Trump that the testing program is having no problems at all,” the committee wrote.
It later added, “Given that the Administration’s Response Plan does not contain plans for addressing the testing shortage, the Committee is narrowing its previous request to a limited set of information relating to that topic — which is the most urgent and, presumably, should be the most easily accessible.”
The committee asked for access to the administration’s current plans for ensuring testing accessibility and for documentation regarding previous deadlines for testing set by the administration, starting on Jan. 31 when the public health emergency was declared by the Department of Health and Human Services.
“We are gravely concerned that, due to multiple missteps, people across the country have been unable to get tested as healthcare providers are being forced to ration the extremely limited number of tests available, significantly degrading our country’s ability to conduct accurate modeling of the spread of the virus and endangering the health and safety of the American people,” the committee wrote.
Members of President Trump’s coronavirus task force have admitted that the United States fell behind in creating test kits. Dr. Anthony Fauci said the testing system was “failing” during a hearing on March 11. The current availability for testing seems to be turning around, however. Vice President Mike Pence announced that “tens of thousands” had been tested during a press conference on Thursday.
The committee’s letter, which was addressed to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, ordered all documentation to be turned over by Tuesday.
