President Joe Biden has appointed a familiar name for the new role of global health security coordinator.
Stephanie Psaki, the sister of MSNBC host and former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, will help organize the government’s response when an emerging health threat, such as a pandemic, is detected.
Congress created the role due to the government’s struggles in responding to COVID-19 in early 2020, believing there was a need for a designated coordinator. The White House confirmed the hire to the Washington Examiner.
Stephanie Psaki is a “longtime global health expert,” according to the Washington Post, joining the federal health department’s global affairs office in March 2021 and moving to the White House in 2022, the year her sister left. She will retain a role at the National Security Council.
Conservatives may raise a few eyebrows at the news of a Psaki coordinating pandemic response. Jen Psaki was involved in some of the Biden administration‘s more controversial decisions, saying in July of 2021 that “we’re flagging problematic posts for Facebook” related to COVID-19 misinformation.
A federal judge later ruled the administration and social media companies collaborated to suppress speech based on content and temporarily banned a litany of Biden officials from contacting the tech firms. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case on March 18.
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But Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), who led the legislation creating the role, praised the news on X.
“Great news from the White House today!” he wrote. “My Global Health Security Act created the coordinator position to help us prevent and respond to the next global health emergency, and Dr. Psaki is exactly the right person for the job.”
