Top Biden Covid-19 officials are increasingly clashing with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the administration pushes to begin distributing booster shots widely by Sept. 20
.
Seven senior administration officials working on the federal pandemic response, and three other people familiar with the matter, described the growing tension in interviews with POLITICO. All spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter more openly. Other CDC officials working on the pandemic response are equally exasperated by the situation and what they see as unrealistic expectations from the White House as it tries to shore up public opinion.One senior administration official said the Biden administration’s public pledge to let science lead was faltering behind the scenes. “The CDC is getting out what it can when it can,” the official said.
White House officials and Anthony Fauci, the president’s chief medical adviser, were eager to begin doling out boosters later this month, citing data from Israel and other countries that suggested vaccines’ efficacy was waning and that breakthrough infections were on the rise. These officials pushed the CDC to share publicly the data from its ongoing studies of vaccine performance and breakthrough cases.
That the Biden White House “is starting to exert a little more pressure [on CDC] is long overdue,” said a former Trump health official. “[President Donald] Trump’s mistake was not understanding that the way to fix it wasn’t to publicly berate them ... but to actually lead and reform.” In a sign that even the CDC director herself recognizes the agency has repeatedly fallen short on messaging, multiple people with knowledge of the matter said Walensky has recently weighed bringing on new communications staff. The agency's main spokespeople are career employees who predate Walensky's arrival in January.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
U.S. administers 380.2 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDCThe United States has administered 380,241,903 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Sunday morning and distributed 456,755,755 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Read more »
U.S. has administered 379.4 mln COVID-19 vaccine doses, CDC saysThe United States has administered 379,472,220 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Saturday morning and distributed 456,755,075 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Read more »
Biden administration opens investigation into Florida’s school masking policiesFederal education authorities on Friday opened an investigation into Florida’s attempts to block mask mandates in local schools
Read more »
Biden unlikely to formally recognize Taliban governmentAny U.S. recognition of Taliban rule is unlikely in the near term — it would infuriate Congress and damage the White House politically.
Read more »
Texas governor signs Republican-backed voting curbs decried by BidenGovernor Greg Abbott on Tuesday made Texas the latest U.S. state to impose Republican-backed voting restrictions, signing a law that was swiftly challenged in court and criticized by President Joe Biden as part of an 'all-out assault' on American democracy.
Read more »
Manchin favors trimming Biden budget plan by more than halfDemocratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia says he won’t support even half of President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion plan for social and environmental spending. Democrats have no votes to spare if they want to enact Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda.
Read more »