Members of the coronavirus task force are too busy to testify before Congress during the month of May, according to the White House.
In a Monday memo to members of the executive branch, the Office of Legal Counsel for the White House notified staff directors that no members of the task force would be testifying before Congress in May. The update followed last week’s announcement that Dr. Anthony Fauci will not be testifying this month.
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“With April guidance expiring and Congress preparing to come back into session, the Administration has provided agencies with updated guidance for how to approach hearing requests. This guidance is intended to last through May, but may be amended in the interim if Task Force duties allow,” the White House stated in the internal memo.
The White House has informed the Hill that no task force members can accept hearing invitations in May without permission from Meadows, per obtained email. pic.twitter.com/6fuzbusHQr
— Emily Cochrane (@ESCochrane) May 4, 2020
“For the month of May, no Task Force members, or key deputies of Task Force members, may accept hearing invitations. Exceptions may be made only with the express approval of the White House Chief of Staff,” the White House continued.
The White House notified the employees of the State Department, Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Homeland Security that they should only attend one congressional briefing per subcommittee in the House and Senate for a total of no more than four briefings to “preserve department-wide resources.”
The administration also advised other agencies to prioritize their coronavirus responses and decline requests for hearings from Congress if needed to maintain their response efforts.
