Coronavirus Chiefs Fauci and Redfield Can’t Defend Testing Under Grilling By Debbie Wasserman-Schultz: ‘It Is A Failing’
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) went after CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield and NIAD Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, Thursday, as they testified before the House, which resulted in Dr. Fauci admitting that the U.S. coronavirus testing system is “a failing.”
“Dr. Redfield, the national union that represents nurses across this country just issued a statement publicly contradicting your testimony yesterday before this committee,” declared Schultz. “So, I ask this question: will you admit that there is a serious problem in this country with individuals, even healthcare workers, obtaining access to testing for coronavirus?”
“Thank you for your question congresswoman, I’m going to be looking into this in depth as I said yesterday,” Redfield replied. “Clearly we need to protect the healthcare workers on the front lines. In general these are local decisions on which healthcare workers need to be tested…”
“Okay, but these are people who contacted CDC and it’s CDC that they say turned them down and said that they couldn’t be tested,” interrupted Schultz.
“And I will look into that in detail and get back to your office as soon as I can,” Redfield responded.
Schultz shot back, “Well as soon as you can will hopefully be today.”
After also being grilled about testing, Fauci admitted that the testing system “is a failing.”
“The system is not really geared to what we need right now, what you are asking for. That is a failing,” he declared. “It is a failing, let’s admit it. The fact is the way the system was set up is that the public health component that Dr. Redfield was talking about was a system where you put it out there in the public and a physician asks for it and you get it.”
“The idea of anybody getting it easily the way people in other countries are doing it, we’re not set up for that,” he continued. “Do I think we should be? Yes. But we’re not.”
Schultz responded, “Okay, that’s really disturbing and I appreciate the information.”
Watch the full exchange below:
