Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'I’m Not Concerned At All': Trump Does Little To Change His Routine Amid Coronavirus Exposure Fears
The Associated Press: As Americans Take Virus Precautions, Trump Flouts Advice
At the Pentagon, top military brass have been begun “social distancing" to avoid spreading disease. At the Capitol, legislators have been encouraged to forgo hand shakes and flash the “Star Trek” Vulcan greeting instead. But at the White House, President Donald Trump is flouting his own government's advice on how to stay safe. He continues to shake hands with supporters and visitors, hold large events and minimize the threat posed by a coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 115,000 people and killed over 4,000 worldwide. (Colvin, 3/10)
Politico: Trump's Life During Coronavirus: Same Routine, More Purell
Before President Donald Trump took photos with about 100 VIP donors at his South Florida Mar-a-Lago resort Sunday afternoon, staffers gave them each a squirt of hand sanitizer and a form to list recent international travel. That was the exception. As the novel coronavirus quickly spreads across the U.S., schools are closing, employees are working remotely and major conferences are being canceled. But for the White House and Trump, changes have been limited — and inconsistent. (Kumar, 3/10)
Roll Call: Trump Talks About His Contact With Now Self-Quarantined Members
President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that getting tested for COVID-19 is “not a big deal” after recently coming in contact with two members of Congress who are now under self-imposed quarantine. GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz and Doug Collins were informed that they had come in contact with an attendee at the CPAC conference who later tested positive for the disease transmitted by the novel coronavirus. Both were in contact with Trump days after the conference but before they knew of the potential exposure. While Gaetz has since tested negative for the disease, he is one of several members under quarantine at home. (MacGillivray, 3/10)
ABC News: Trump Says He's OK With Coronavirus Test But Doesn't Need One: 'I Feel Extremely Good'
President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has not been tested for the new coronavirus and that his doctor has advised him against doing so at this time, since he does not have any symptoms. “I feel extremely good. I feel very good,” he told reporters as he explained that he’d be willing to get tested but that there’s no reason for him to do so at this time. (Phelps, 3/10)
The Washington Post: Two Trump Allies Got Coronavirus Tests Despite Shortage And Lack Of Symptoms
Two close congressional allies of President Trump underwent coronavirus testing in recent days in apparent defiance of federal recommendations reserving those tests for patients exhibiting symptoms of infection — and amid growing concerns about the availability of testing for Americans who are sick. Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), the latter of whom Trump named last week as the next White House chief of staff, both said in statements that the tests showed no infection after exposure to a coronavirus carrier at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference last month in suburban Washington. (DeBonis and Johnson, 3/10)
The New York Times: Avoid Flights And Crowds? Try Telling That To Congress
Public health officials concerned about the new coronavirus have been warning people over 65 to avoid crowds, limit physical contact with others and skip “nonessential travel.” Yet this week, a group of Americans 65 and older who fly frequently between cities — shaking hands with many strangers as they go — have been meeting in large groups to conduct their work. Between the U.S. House and Senate, there are almost 200 of them. When a reporter in the Capitol asked Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma, 85, what precautions he was taking to protect himself from the disease known as Covid-19, he said none — and extended his arm with confidence: “Wanna shake hands?” (Fandos and Sanger-Katz, 3/11)
The Hill: Pelosi Stands Firm Amid Calls To Close Capitol
Business in the Capitol will carry on amid coronavirus concerns. With the outbreak sparking chaos around the globe, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday sought to calm volatile financial markets and an anxious American public, declaring that House lawmakers would neither flee the Capitol nor extend next week’s recess. “We are the captains of the ship. We are the last to leave,” she told rank-and-file Democrats in a closed-door meeting in the basement of the building, according to multiple sources in the room. (Wong and Lillis, 3/10)
Elsewhere on Capitol Hill —
Politico: Pelosi Joins Asian American Lawmakers In Demanding McCarthy Apology For 'Bigoted' Tweet
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is taking heat for calling Covid-19 the “Chinese coronavirus'' in a recent tweet — a reference that prompted the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to demand an apology Tuesday. “Calling the 2019 novel coronavirus the ‘Chinese’ or ‘Wuhan’ coronavirus is as descriptive as calling it the ‘CPAC coronavirus’ — that is to say not descriptive at all,’’ CAPAC Chairwoman Rep. Judy Chu, the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress, said in a statement. “Worse, it’s harmful.’’ (Marinucci, 3/10)
