Senate Democrats urge National Security Council to recruit pandemic expert for COVID-19 response

The absence of pandemic or global health expertise at the White House National Security Council and on the Trump administration's Coronavirus Task Force is prompting Senate Democrats to raise concerns about the quality of advice provided to President Donald Trump, as well as the potential for political priorities to outweigh public health needs.

Twenty-nine Democratic senators signed a letter sent Feb. 13 urging Robert O’Brien, U.S. National Security Adviser, to “appoint a qualified, dedicated, senior global health security expert to coordinate the United States’ global health security work.” ...