EXCLUSIVE — A group of House Republicans is calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide them with unreleased data on COVID-19, alleging the agency’s decision to withhold the information was an effort to “control the narrative” surrounding the pandemic.

In a letter led by House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and James Comer of Kentucky that was sent to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky on Friday, the members cited a New York Times report, arguing the information potentially could have helped states better navigate their response efforts to the deadly virus.