Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
GOP Lawmakers Let Rare Frustration With Trump Slip Through As Virus Cases Spike Across Country
Politico: Coronavirus Spike Rattles Senate Republicans
As coronavirus cases spike across the country, President Donald Trump and his top officials say everything is mostly under control. But Senate Republicans are pressing them to show a little urgency. The latest outbreaks are also reshaping the GOP’s political and legislative strategy, with Republicans planning to focus more on health care in the next coronavirus relief bill. And they’re flashing rare frustration at the Trump administration for its decision to wind down federally supported testing sites. (Everett and Levine, 6/25)
Los Angeles Times: New Coronavirus Spike Alarms Republicans, But Not Trump
The final Thursday in June saw jobless claims top 1 million for a 14th straight week and a frightening spike in coronavirus infections across the Sun Belt, compelling a growing number of Republican governors and members of Congress to issue urgent public health warnings. President Trump called it a success story. (Stokols and Hook, 6/25)
The Hill: GOP Senators Push Back On Trump Administration Plan To End Support For Testing Sites
Texas Sens. John Cornyn (R) and Ted Cruz (R) on Thursday sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) protesting the administration’s plans to cut back federal support of drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites in Texas and other states. The senators called the testing sites “critical to Texas’ testing capacity” at a time the number of coronavirus cases in the state is spiking, hitting a peak of 5,551 new cases on Wednesday. (Bolton, 6/25)
CNN: GOP Sens. Cornyn And Cruz Say They Don't Understand Why Federal Funds Are Being Pulled From Coronavirus Testing Sites
Administration officials have said that slowing down testing has not been requested and his comments were made "in jest," but Trump maintains that he wasn't kidding. The federally funded testing program was intended to jump-start initial capabilities in critical areas across the US, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But given Food and Drug Administration approval for individuals to self-administer nasal swab tests at sites, the demand for personal protective equipment and trained health care providers will be reduced, a FEMA spokesperson said in a statement in April, when the administration began its transition away from the program. (Vazquez, 6/25)
Politico: Trump Says Push For Less Coronavirus Testing Was Sarcasm
President Donald Trump on Thursday said he had “sarcastically” claimed that a decrease in coronavirus testing would lower U.S. infection rates, adding a new twist to the weeklong scramble by the White House to clarify the president’s comments on virus testing. “Sometimes I jokingly say, or sarcastically say, if we didn’t do tests we would look great,” Trump said in an interview and Fox News town hall with Sean Hannity. “But you know what? It’s not the right thing to do.” (Muller, 6/25)
Kaiser Health News: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: The Pandemic Shifts; The Politics, Not So Much
President Donald Trump caused a stir when he said at his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last weekend that he wanted less testing for COVID-19. While aides denied that, it didn’t help when on Wednesday the administration announced it would cut off federal funding for a number of state testing sites, including several in Texas, which is in the midst of a large spike in cases. (6/26)
