Fauci, Redfield, Hahn and Giroir testified this morning that no one ever told them to slow down the testing. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t know Trump wanted the testing slowed down.
We already know that Trump’s “wishes” were carried out with respect to Hydroxychloroquine to keep him happy. We know that minions all over the government were taking calls from Trump buddies with asks and ideas that had no legitimate purpose (other than to make some of them rich.)
And I think there’s probably very little doubt that he expressed his wishes openly to Pence, Kushner, Azar and others in the White House. The word gets out.
And anyway, they are slowing down the testing. TPM reports:
The Trump administration is ending funding and support for local COVID-19 testing sites around the country this month, as cases and hospitalizations are skyrocketing in many states.
The federal government will stop providing money and support for 13 sites across five states which were originally set up in the first months of the pandemic to speed up testing at the local level.
Local officials and public health experts expressed a mixture of frustration, resignation, and horror at the decision to let federal support lapse.
Texas will be particularly hard hit by the decision. The federal government gives much-needed testing kits and laboratory access to seven testing sites around Texas. But in the state, which is seeing new peaks in cases, people still face long lines for testing that continues to fail to meet overwhelming demand.
In Dallas County, Texas, the federal government will end support on June 30 for two testing sites it has been been supporting since March, Rocky Vaz, the director of emergency management for the city of Dallas, confirmed to TPM.
“Cases are continuing to rise in Dallas County, and we want to continue with the testing,” Vaz said.
The city of Dallas asked the federal government for an extension beyond June 30, but was refused, Vaz said.
“They told us very clearly that they are not going to extend it,” Vaz said. “We are not expecting it to continue beyond June 30, but things change.”
As the nation’s case load and deaths rise, the feds are pulling back.
Now why do you suppose that is?