Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Creates Special Transition Team Dedicated To COVID Crisis Response
Politico: Biden Forms Special Covid Transition Team
President-elect Joe Biden has formed a special transition team dedicated to coordinating the coronavirus response across the government, according to documents obtained by POLITICO and people familiar with the decision. ... The Covid-19 team has not yet been formally announced and is largely separate from the coronavirus task force that Biden unveiled Monday, which is primarily advising Biden and handling the incoming administration’s public messaging. The transition group, still in its infancy, met virtually for the first time on Tuesday and is likely to lay the groundwork for a White House Covid-19 response team to be created after Biden is inaugurated, one member of the team said. (Cancryn, 11/11)
Politico: Transition Delay Hampers Biden’s Ramp-Up Of Covid-19 Response
The Trump administration’s refusal to authorize a presidential transition is interfering with President-elect Joe Biden’s plans for a rapid scale-up of the federal coronavirus response, leaving the incoming administration locked out of key health agencies amid the spiraling pandemic. (Cancryn, 11/10)
ABC News: Amid Messy Transition, Biden Team Hopes To Fill Gaps Left By Trump Administration COVID-19 Response
As the U.S. faces a stunning new wave of COVID-19 hospitalizations and persistent equipment shortages, public health experts are warning that post-election politics could add to the challenges this winter. President Donald Trump remains focused on the outcome of the election and has scaled back his public appearances and schedule to almost nothing, rather than addressing the ongoing health crisis. His administration continues to block access of federal agencies to the incoming administration to get briefed by career staff on matters, including related to the vaccine and COVID-19. (Flaherty and Ebbs, 11/11)
AP: World Leaders Talking To Biden About The Virus, Other Issues
World leaders spoke to President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday about cooperating on the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and other issues, even as President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede complicates the U.S. post-election transition. In his conversations with key Asian allies, Biden seemed intent on easing their uncertainties about a less-engaged Washington, which built up during the four years of Trump’s “America First” approach. (11/12)
In related news —
The Hill: Biden Seeks To Use The Bully Pulpit He Has On COVID-19
President-elect Joe Biden is wasting no time in using his bully pulpit to push public health measures, like mask wearing and physical distancing, that public health experts say will work best to combat the rapid spread of COVID-19. Biden has promised a much more forceful federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic than President Trump and has announced his own COVID-19 advisory board of health experts. (Weixel, 11/11)
The New York Times: Biden’s Policy Agenda Rests Heavily On Senate Outcome
President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s transition team is preparing multiple sets of policy proposals for the economy, health care, climate change and other domestic issues, including the ambitious agenda Mr. Biden laid out in his winning campaign, while acknowledging it may have to be pared back in recognition of divided government. Where the incoming administration lands depends heavily on two Senate runoffs in Georgia in early January. (Tankersley, 11/11)
