Under Trump’s Presidency, Funding For Fighting Outbreaks Was Slashed. It’s Not Easy To Build Up Again.

President Donald Trump said that he didn't regret cuts to funding for infectious disease response efforts, claiming that it would be easy to ramp it back up in times of crisis. But public health experts say the key to a successful response is sustained planning and investment.

The Washington Post: Trump Says He Can Bring In Coronavirus Experts Quickly. The Experts Say It Is Not That Simple.

The White House official charged with leading the U.S. response to deadly pandemics left nearly two years ago as his global health security team was disbanded. Federal funding for preventing and mitigating the spread of infectious disease has been repeatedly threatened since President Trump’s election. Despite the mounting threat of a coronavirus outbreak in the United States, Trump said he has no regrets about those actions and that expertise and resources can be quickly ramped up to meet the current needs. (Reinhard, Brown and Satija, 2/27)

The Washington Post: Fact-Checking President Trump’s Coronavirus News Conference

After several mixed — and sometimes inaccurate — messages on the coronavirus, President Trump attempted to reassure Americans with a lengthy news conference Wednesday evening. Here’s a fact check of 13 of the most noteworthy statements the president made. (Kessler and Kelly, 2/28)

The Hill: Ex-Obama Health Adviser Calls Trump Comments On Coronavirus Response 'Incoherent'

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a former health policy adviser in the Obama administration, said late Wednesday that he found President Trump's remarks during a news conference on his administration's response to the coronavirus outbreak a "little incoherent." Speaking on MSNBC's "Hardball," Emanuel, now a special adviser to the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said that Trump's comments indicated how little the president knew about public health. (Wise, 2/27)

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