Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Murphy: Reopening guidance from Trump administration ‘criminally vague’

  • Health
  • by Ana Radelat
  • May 12, 2020
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Sen. Chris Murphy asks why the Trump administration had not released a CDC reopening plan.

Washington – Sen. Chris Murphy on Tuesday pressed Trump administration officials on when they will release more guidance to help coronavirus-hit states begin to reopen, saying what has been available so far is “criminally vague.”

“My state needs it, we don’t have all of the experts that you have,” Murphy said.

Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, declined to commit to a specific timetable on when the agency might release more detailed information. He said the information had been under review by other agencies.

The exchange occurred during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on reopening the economy and schools. The witnesses included Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, who was offsite, as was Redfield and the other two witnesses and most of the senators on the HELP panel. But Murphy and a handful of his colleagues were in the near-empty hearing room, even as it was devoid of witnesses, press and audience.

“You work for a president who is frankly undermining our efforts to comply with the guidance you gave us,” Murphy told the health officials. “The guidance you gave us is criminally vague. The plan to reopen America was to be followed by more nuanced, detailed guidance.”

CDC director Robert Redford said states would receive reopening guidance ‘soon.’

Murphy pressed the CDC director on a reopening plan his agency had drafted, but not made public – reportedly because the White House thought it was too cautious.

“We’re reopening in Connecticut in days,” Murphy said. “When are we going to receive this guidance?”

Redfield said the plan in question was subject to “an inter-agency review” and additional guidance would be available to states “soon.”

“’Soon’ isn’t terribly helpful,” Murphy shot back.

Testifying before Congress for the first time since President Donald Trump declared the coronavirus crisis a national emergency March 13, Fauci warned of avoidable “suffering and death” and of further economic damage if states reopen too quickly .

He said he is concerned that cities and states are reopening without reaching “checkpoints” outlined by the administration. “I feel if that occurs, there is a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you might not be able to control,” he said.

“In fact, paradoxically it will set you back not only leading to some suffering and death that could be avoided but it could even set you back on the road on trying to get economic recovery,” Fauci testified.  “That would turn the clock back rather than going forward.”

Most states have yet to meet the most basic reopening benchmarks set out by the White House by last month, even as most move in stages toward lifting social distancing guidelines.

Fauci also said the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus is probably higher than the 80,000 reported.

The chairman of the HELP Committee, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said there is a need to begin a return to normalcy and called for speeding a ramp-up of the nation’s testing and tracing capabilities.

“Staying at home indefinitely is not the way to end this pandemic,” Alexander said. “There is not enough money available to help all those hurt by a closed economy.”

Fauci,  Redfield and another witness at the hearing, Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, had decided to self-quarantine for two weeks after coming into contact with someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Murphy asked them if they continued to draw government paychecks during their quarantine.

Fauci and Hahn said they were “essential workers,” continued to perform their duties during the quarantine and continued to get paid.

Murphy said they should get paid while taking precautions to keep others safe.

“My point is that quarantine is relatively easy for people like you and me,  we can still work and get paid, ” Murphy said. “But there are millions of other Americans who work jobs that can’t be performed from home or are paid by the hour. It is just remarkable to  me that this administration has not yet developed a mechanism for states to implement and pay for a quarantine system that will work for all Americans.”

Murphy said reopening plans require states to develop a quarantine plan.

“My state has no clue how to implement and pay for such as system without help from the federal government,” Murphy said.

The pandemic required that the Senate hearing be held in a near-empty room.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ana Radelat Ana has written about politics and policy in Washington, D.C.. for Gannett, Thompson Reuters and UPI. She was a special correspondent for the Miami Herald, and a regular contributor to The New York TImes, Advertising Age and several other publications. She has also worked in broadcast journalism, for CNN and several local NPR stations. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
CT teachers are expected to get vaccinated for COVID at local clinics, but other options could cause problems
by Dave Altimari

School employees could end up on two lists, which means some vaccine might go to waste, officials said.

Equity issues dominate hearing on Lamont’s marijuana bill
by Kelan Lyons and Mark Pazniokas

The administration's testimony took up the hearing's first five hours. More than 130 people are signed up to speak.

Black and Hispanic residents continue to be vaccinated against COVID at lower rates than white residents
by Kasturi Pananjady and Jenna Carlesso

Among those 65 and older, the rate of vaccination for white residents was 39%, compared to 21% for Black residents.

As mass vaccination centers take the lead in the COVID race, the push is on to reach the most vulnerable
by Dave Altimari

While mass vaccination sites have helped overall vaccination rates, they have not reached the state's most vulnerable populations.

Governor says frustrations with vaccine rollout should be with CDC guidelines
by Adria Watson

Lamont also said 30,000 doses of new J&J vaccine could arrive next week

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Lamont’s new vaccination priorities are simple and smart
by Richard Davies

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s new age-eligibility vaccine plan is simple, smart and straightforward. The more complicated the rules are, the greater the chance of screw-ups and of well-connected people getting their shots before they should. The governor is doing a good job.

Opinion Gas pipeline will threaten water quality, wildlife and wetlands
by Susan Eastwood

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has granted tentative approval of the 401 water quality certification for the Pomfret to Killingly natural gas pipeline. I urge DEEP to deny the 401 certification, as the proposed pipeline would violate the Connecticut’s water quality standards, and the conditions in the draft certification fail to protect our streams, wetlands, and wildlife.

Opinion Connecticut and the other Connecticut. Which will endure?
by Ezra Kaprov

What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘Connecticut’? Possibly, you think of a 43-year-old Puerto Rican man who arrived here with his family following Hurricane Maria. He works full-time as a machinist at the Sikorsky plant, and he coaches a prizefighter on the side.

Opinion COVID-19 increases urgency for legislature to pass medical aid-in-dying law
by Dr. Gary Blick

The COVID-19 crisis has exposed the profound tragedy of loved ones dying alone, in a hospital or nursing home, without the care and comfort of loved ones surrounding them. This pandemic also demonstrates the fragility of life, the limits of modern medicine to relieve suffering, and has magnified the systemic racial disparities in our healthcare system, resulting in higher hospitalization and death rates for people in communities of color. We must eradicate these disparities, so everyone has equal access to the full range of end-of-life care options.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO