Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar pushed back on reports that President Trump plans to appoint a “coronavirus czar” who would be responsible for coordinating different agencies to respond to the virus.
“This has been the smoothest inter-agency process I have seen in dealing with public health emergencies,” Azar said Wednesday during a House Appropriations Committee hearing.
Azar has been overseeing the president’s task force on the coronavirus, in addition to his role at HHS. The leadership has come under criticism by Democrats, who say that the Trump administration needs an outsider who can coordinate different agencies. After Ebola spread in the United States, former President Barack Obama appointed Ronald Klain, a Democratic strategist, to the role of “Ebola czar.”
Trump is holding a press conference at 6 p.m. EST on Wednesday to discuss how his administration is responding to the virus. The administration has requested $2.5 billion in funding from Congress, an amount that Democrats say falls far short of what will be needed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that the virus will spread in the U.S. and could cause massive disruption.
As Trump returned from a state visit to India, Politico reported that Trump is considering appointing Dr. Scott Gottlieb, his former director of the Food and Drug Administration, as “coronavirus czar.”
Asked about such a possibility during Wednesday’s hearing, Azar replied, “I don’t put much stock in anonymous sources in Politico.”
Pressed again by Democrat Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, Azar replied, “I don’t anticipate one. This is working extremely well. If it doesn’t work or there is a need for a change … then that would be for the president to decide.”
