Pence Announces Task Force to Dissolve, Trump Announces Task Force to Continue

Mike Pence told reporters on Tuesday that plans were being made to disband the White House task force responsible for supporting the federal coronavirus response. On Wednesday morning, President Trump tweeted to the contrary, stating that “…the Task Force will continue on indefinitely with its focus on SAFETY & OPENING UP OUR COUNTRY AGAIN. We may add or subtract people … as appropriate. The Task Force will also be very focused on Vaccines & Therapeutics. Thank you!”

Originally headed by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, the task force was taken over by Pence in late February after an awkward handoff in which the Secretary announced that he was “still chairman of the task force” at a White House news briefing attended by Trump and Pence. The audience had just been informed by the President that Pence would be its new leader. Later that week, political rival and administrator for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Seema Verma, was added to the task force, and Azar’s absence from a televised briefing the following week was explained by a Pence spokesperson as necessary to make room on the stage for Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.

Sources:
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/05/white-house-break-up-of-coronavirus-task-force-237769
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/06/coronavirus-update-us/
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1258020228006584320
https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/26/politics/alexander-azar-coronavirus-chairman-task-force/index.html      https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-regarding-presidents-coronavirus-task-force/
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/nris-in-news/indian-american-seema-verma-appointed-as-key-member-of-us-covid-19-task-force/articleshow/74454795.cms?from=mdr

Katie Pincura, DrPh, MPH, MA

Katie Pincura, DrPH, MA, MPH is an Assistant Professor, Teaching Assistant Professor of Health Sciences at Western Carolina University, College of Health and Human Sciences, School of Health Sciences. Dr. Pincura is a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Her research focuses on the intersection of healthcare policy and public health.

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