Presumptive President-elect Joe Biden has positioned himself to take over the country’s coronavirus response, naming a 13-person task force despite President Trump mounting a raft of legal challenges to last week’s election.
Biden announced Monday that his transition COVID-19 advisory board would be led by three co-chairs, Dr. David Kessler, Dr. Vivek Murthy, and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith. The trio would be joined by Dr. Beth Cameron and Dr. Rebecca Katz as advisers, as well as Dr. Rick Bright.
“Dealing with the coronavirus pandemic is one of the most important battles our administration will face, and I will be informed by science and by experts,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden added that the task force would shape his approach “to managing the surge in reported infections; ensuring vaccines are safe, effective, and distributed efficiently, equitably, and free; and protecting at-risk populations.”
Kessler, Murthy, and Katz have been working with Biden since March as members of his public health advisory committee. Murthy also led Biden’s working group with liberal allies of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, which made healthcare policy recommendations for Biden and the broader Democratic Party over the summer.
Biden’s choice of Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General from 2014 to 2017, was quickly questioned by Republicans over his support of mask mandates and past statements, including calling gun control a healthcare issue.
Bright was Trump’s former Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority director and Department of Health and Human Services preparedness and response deputy assistant secretary. He resigned last month after claims he was demoted for filing a whistleblower complaint over the administration’s handling of the crisis.
Biden’s announcement coincides with Trump’s refusal to concede while his lawsuits over the election results in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania are still pending. Aides, too, have indicated they’ll pursue recounts in Georgia and Wisconsin, given the narrow vote margins in those states.
Biden’s efforts to trigger the transition process have also been hindered by the General Services Administration. Administrator Emily Murphy has so far declined to release funding, provide office space, or offer Biden access to government agencies as part of the formal transfer of power.
