A key member of the White House coronavirus task force, Dr Anthony Fauci, is being prevented from testifying before the Democratic-led House next week.
House Appropriations Committee spokesman, Evan Hollander, said, “The Appropriations Committee sought Dr. Anthony Fauci as a witness at next week’s Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee hearing on COVID-19 response. We have been informed by an administration official that the White House has blocked Dr. Fauci from testifying.”
This decision was confirmed by the White House deputy press secretary, Judd Deere.
Deere further stated that “While the Trump’s administration continues its whole-of-government response to COVID-19, including safely opening up America again and expediting vaccine development.
“It is counter-productive to have the very individuals involved in those efforts appearing at Congressional hearings. We are committed to working with Congress to offer testimony at the appropriate time.”
It seems however that Fauci is expected to testify in the presence of Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committees on May 12, according to an aide to the panel’s Chairman, Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican.
Sen. Lamar Alexander said, “Chairman Alexander looks forward to hearing from Dr. Fauci and other administration officials at the Senate health committee’s second hearing back, which will be on Tuesday, May 12,”
While the move to block House testimony comes after the House abruptly canceled plans on Tuesday to return to the Capitol next week, it prevented a potential meeting between a blunt, high-ranking expert who has dissented from President Donald Trump’s account of the federal response and lawmakers gearing up for an oversight battle.
Fauci has repeatedly veered from Trump’s framing of the federal government’s handling of the pandemic, as recently as the past few days.
On Friday, President Trump said that he is generally supportive of Georgia’s efforts to reopen some businesses, but that he is upset with Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to open spas and tattoo parlors before meeting federal guidelines on such businesses reopening.
“I think it’s wonderful. I want to see us open safely. But I didn’t like spas and tattoo parlors and I was not thrilled about that, but I said nothing about Georgia other than that,” Trump said.
“And, I mean, obviously you could get away with that, but you are making a really significant risk. “I hope they can actually handle any rebound that they see,” he added.
