On the recordSeptember 17, 2020
The whip mentioned undermining confidence. I will tell the whip with all due respect; nobody has undermined confidence in the healthcare system more than the President of the United States. No one has diverted more attention from the experts; no one has denigrated the experts, which undermines confidence in their advice and counsel, than the President of the United States. And no one in the health community said that the coronavirus was a hoax. We have just seen that Mr. Woodward heard in late January that the President thought this was a very serious matter. And then, frankly, he conveyed to the American people, don't worry about it, it is going to go away. In a few days, a few weeks, it is going to go away. No one has undermined the confidence of the American people in the CDC or the FDA or the NIH more than the President of the United States. He said they are wrong. And I say that because confidence needs to be built by leadership. And if the vaccine can come out next month, hooray, if it can be done consistent with what the medical experts and the pharmaceutical experts tell us can give the American people confidence. But I will tell my friend Mr. Caputo substantially undermined confidence because he wanted to tell the experts what to say apparently consistent with what the administration's policy was as opposed to what the scientific evidence was.…
