The task force coordinator, Deborah Birx, joined the president for an event on reopening last week but does not appear in public as frequently as she once did. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany periodically relays information to reporters that she attributes to Birx -- such as asserting in May that there was a correlation between states reopening and virus caseloads falling.
Even within the White House, employees have visibly reduced how frequently they wear masks during briefings. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, did not speak publicly during any White House event last month and warned lawmakers Thursday that the U.S. is still unprepared for pandemic threats.
Admiral Brett Giroir, the assistant health secretary who served as the administration’s testing czar, said Monday during a meeting that he’ll soon return to his regular job, where he leads a Trump initiative to end the U.S. HIV epidemic.
“I want to reaffirm that HIV remains a priority for me and my office. I expect to be demobilized from FEMA in mid-June and return full time to my former position and responsibilities -- including HIV,” he said.
He told reporters Wednesday in a conference call that he will still remain involved in the coronavirus testing strategy.
An HHS spokesperson, in a statement issued on condition of anonymity, said Giroir will continue to be engaged with coronavirus efforts, while his day-to-day testing duties will be assumed by the office of Alex Azar, Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary. Giroir was not formally a task force member but joined the briefings regularly.
Supply Worries
The White House declined to comment, though one adviser signaled the task force would soon appear publicly again.
“I’d be surprised if there weren’t task force briefings soon,” White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Tuesday, downplaying questions about its shrinking profile. The administration is “really racing against the clock to keep these therapeutics and vaccines in development,” but has surged enough supplies to states and hospitals in case the outbreak spikes again, she said.
One Democratic governor, Jared Polis of Colorado, said his state’s hospitals are “doing well where we are today” but that he’s concerned about the outbreak resurging from large gatherings and increased socializing.
“We have not received everything that we were expecting from the federal government at any point in this pandemic,” he said, though he immediately added: “We are also grateful for everything that we do receive.”