The official said the task force “will gradually decrease around Memorial Day. We will continue to have key medical advisors (President Donald Trump) daily and accessible to the press in the coming months.”
The move would eliminate the most visible nerve center for the federal government’s response to the virus. But a senior administration official told CNN to expect task force members to still be involved in conversations with governors and industry leaders because the White House is aware that leaders still want news from doctors when they reopen their states and their activities.
Officials said the end of the task force may never be officially announced and that no clear replacement group seems ready to start in its wake, according to the Times. A second administrative official told CNN: “This does not mean that doctors are removed from the equation or rejected.”
The second senior administration official told CNN that the White House is shifting its focus towards the reopening of the economy “and bringing Americans back to work.” This shift will occur in the coming weeks and doctors such as Dr. Deborah Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci, who have been prominent figures in the President’s task force briefings with journalists, will continue to play “an important consultative role” in the process. , said the second senior administrative officer.
“Members of the task force will continue to provide input, although the group will not meet regularly as the focus shifts to vaccines, therapies, tests and ultimately reopens the economy,” said the second administration official. senior. “Keep in mind that the task force has always been a temporary arrangement. Health experts will continue to provide input even if they don’t meet every day.”
Pence confirmed to reporters on Tuesday that the White House is discussing the right time to dissolve the task force. The comments were made in a brief briefing with the reporter to whom CNN was not invited. The vice president’s office subsequently provided a partial transcript of the comments.
“We are conversing about this and what is the right time for the task force to complete its work and for the ongoing efforts to take place on an agency-by-agency basis,” said Pence, adding that the White House has ha started discussing a “transition plan with FEMA”.
Pence added that the White House “is starting to look at the Memorial day window, the window in early June as a time when we could start moving” away from the task force.
This is a revolutionary story and will be updated.
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