Mark Bergin
Several Republican U.S. Representatives walked out of a closed-door coronavirus meeting Friday after a Democrat criticized the Donald Trump administration for its handling of the response effort, POLITICO reported.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut started the briefing with her claims that the administration was disorganized and lacked urgency in combating the coronavirus, lawmakers said.
However, Republicans attending the meeting weren’t the only ones irritated by DeLauro’s remarks.
Florida Democratic U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala told POLITICO the briefing was not the right setting for DeLauro’s criticism.
“No one wanted to hear that, either the Democrats or Republicans,” Shalala said. “We just wanted to hear the substance.”
Shalala — who previously led the health department under President Bill Clinton — told the Blaze that DeLauro’s comments “missed the purpose of the meeting.”
DeLauro, who leads health appropriations in the House, accused the Trump administration of lacking urgency. She also warned there were several questions that are unanswered about the coronavirus response.
As the House members moved to a larger meeting room, DeLauro told reporters she did not “give a rat’s ass” about the reactions from her colleagues.
DeLauro’s office later released a transcript of her remarks during the meeting:
“I support the administration’s declaration of a public health emergency,” DeLauro said. “That said, I have grave concerns about the lack of transparency and unwillingness to allow public health experts to speak freely about what is happening.
“I have serious concerns about the administration’s responsiveness with respect to funding. We have repeatedly asked for information about expenditures. And thus far, we have not received adequate answers.”
Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health and State Department also attended Friday’s closed-door meeting.
DeLauro has an ongoing debate with health officials about money for the coronavirus response.
As of Friday night, there are more than 84,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, including 62 in the U.S. The Florida Department of Health reported Thursday there are no cases in Florida.
More than 2,800 people have died from coronavirus, most of them in China. There is not a vaccine to protect against it or medication approved to treat it at this time.
However, the CDC said the immediate health risk for Americans from coronavirus is low as of Friday.
