President Trump said the White House coronavirus task force would remain in place with a new focus on reopening the country and developing a vaccine, one day after administration officials said they were considering disbanding the group in the coming weeks.
In a series of Wednesday morning tweets, Mr. Trump praised Vice President Mike Pence's work as the leader of the task force.
"Because of this success, the Task Force will continue on indefinitely with its focus on SAFETY & OPENING UP OUR COUNTRY AGAIN," he wrote.
The president had faced criticism from Democrats and public-health experts for considering winding down the task force as the virus continued to spread around the country and a closely watched model projected that the death toll could nearly double by early August.
Senior aides had previously discussed forming a separate coronavirus task force charged with reopening the economy composed of top administration officials like Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow.
Mr. Trump's Wednesday comment that the membership of the task force could change raised questions about the roles of Dr. Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus response coordinator.
Administration officials said on Tuesday that they would continue to advise the administration, but the White House didn't immediately respond to inquiries on Wednesday about whether they would remain on the task force.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-says-coronavirus-task-force-to-shift-focus-to-safety-and-reopening-economy-11588771597?mod=hp_lead_pos1
In a series of Wednesday morning tweets, Mr. Trump praised Vice President Mike Pence's work as the leader of the task force.
"Because of this success, the Task Force will continue on indefinitely with its focus on SAFETY & OPENING UP OUR COUNTRY AGAIN," he wrote.
The president had faced criticism from Democrats and public-health experts for considering winding down the task force as the virus continued to spread around the country and a closely watched model projected that the death toll could nearly double by early August.
Senior aides had previously discussed forming a separate coronavirus task force charged with reopening the economy composed of top administration officials like Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow.
Mr. Trump's Wednesday comment that the membership of the task force could change raised questions about the roles of Dr. Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus response coordinator.
Administration officials said on Tuesday that they would continue to advise the administration, but the White House didn't immediately respond to inquiries on Wednesday about whether they would remain on the task force.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-says-coronavirus-task-force-to-shift-focus-to-safety-and-reopening-economy-11588771597?mod=hp_lead_pos1
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