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Scalise Responds to Chairman Clyburn's "Analysis" of Trump Admin COVID Response

August 7, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republican Whip and Select Subcommittee Ranking Member Steve Scalise (R-La.) released the following statement in response to Chairman Clyburn's so-called "analysis" on the Trump Administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic:

"Once again, House Democrats have shown there is no limit to how far they will go to politicize the pandemic. Their talking points claiming that the President is 'directly responsible for tens of thousands of needless deaths' are outrageous, irresponsible, and completely unsupported by the facts. This attempt to smear the President proves what we have known since the beginning: the Select Subcommittee is nothing other than a tool to attack the President and his Administration while he is working tirelessly to save American lives.

"When Speaker Pelosi unilaterally created the Select Subcommittee, she assured Americans that it would not be partisan and that its purpose was 'not to investigat[e] the [Trump] Administration.' However, the subcommittee immediately took a partisan path. The Select Subcommittee is operating under false auspices of bipartisanship and instead is being used as a platform to unjustly disparage President Trump. It is clear that this was the Speaker's intention from the start.

"Perhaps the most nonsensical Democrat attack against the President is that the Administration lacks a so-called 'national plan.' This could not be further from the truth. The Trump Administration's national plan consists of the following, all supported by thousands of pages of guidance and recommendations: (1) March 16, 2020: '15 Days to Slow the Spread,' (2) '30 Days to Slow the Spread,' (3) 'Guidelines for Reopening America Again.' (4) 'Opening Up America Again: Testing Overview and Testing Blueprint,' (5) 'COVID-19 Strategic Testing Plan,' and (6) 'The Importance of Reopening America's Schools This Fall.'

"In fact, on July 31, the Select Subcommittee held a hearing on the Administration's pandemic plan. During this hearing, we heard from three internationally renowned physicians, Admiral Brett Giroir, Dr. Robert Redfield, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, that the Trump Administration, in fact, has a national plan and that it has saved lives. Dr. Fauci, for example, said the following under oath:

Whip Steve Scalise: Were you involved in working with President Trump on deciding to ban flights from China?

Dr. Anthony Fauci: Yes, sir. I was.

Q. Do you agree with that decision?

A. I do.

Q. Do you think that decision saved lives, Dr. Fauci?

A. Yes, I do.

Q. Do you agree with the decision when ultimately, we saw [COVID-19] spreading in Europe, and the President recommended that we extend [the travel ban] to Europe. Did you participate in that discussion?

A. I was actively involved in that discussion, sir.

Q. Do you agree with that decision?

A. Yes, I do.

Q. Do you think that decision saved lives?

A. Yes, I do.

Q. Eventually, then we saw the United Kingdom have an outbreak and there had to be a tough decision made. Did we extend [the travel ban] to the United Kingdom? Were you a part of that decision?

A. I was.

Q. And do you agree with that decision as well?

A. I do.

Q. Did that decision save lives?

A. Yes, it did.

Q. When you look at the ‘15 Days to Slow the Spread.' Initially it started at 15. Were you part of the decision to implement [that]?

A. I was very much involved in that.

Q. Did that decision save lives, Dr. Fauci?

A. I believe it did.

Q. Then when President Trump met with you and Dr. Birx to extend that another 30 days, do you agree with that decision President Trump made to extend that?

A. Yes, I was very much involved, and I agree with it.

Q. Did that decision save lives, Dr. Fauci?

A. I believe it did.

Q. So, I know we've heard a lot about disagreements. Clearly, there are many decisions made. In fact, there are many internationally respected doctors that are involved in each of those decisions. Is that correct?

A. Yes.

Q. By and large, would you say that you and President Trump have been in agreement on most of those decisions?

A. We're in agreement on virtually all of those.

"Additionally, the President and his Administration executed an unprecedented whole of government plan of attack to flatten the curve and destroy our invisible enemy. As of July 31, the Trump Administration delivered 203.3 million N95 respirators, 855.9 million surgical masks, 36.2 million face shields, 364.7 million surgical gowns/coveralls, and over 21.5 billion gloves. Furthermore, as of August 4, FEMA delivered 30,458 medical supplies to nursing homes in 52 states and territories.

"To claim the president 'silenced' medical experts is flat out false. Since January, members of the White House Task Force – Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Deborah Birx, Dr. Robert Redfield, Admiral Brett Giroir, and Admiral John Polowczyk – have appeared almost daily on either cable news or in the White House briefing room. Further, those same experts have testified in front of Congress, including this Subcommittee, a combined 30 times."