White House Chiefs of Staff

there is no reason why other countries--South Korea--are so far ahead of us, 100,000-plus tests in South Korea, less than 5,000 in the United States.

I think that we could have made a decision to adopt the testing protocols and kits used in other countries that have allowed them to ramp up very quickly.

Public officials at all levels of government need to take steps against discrimination.

Congress has to continue to do its own work on the coronavirus.

Congress deserves great credit for acting with unprecedented speed in funding this response.

Science and medical expertise must guide them, not politics.

The reason you're -- you're seeing so much attention to it today is they think this is what's going to bring down the president. That's what this is all about.

a wonderful way to streamline government and do what we haven't been able to do in a long time.

What we need to do is to monitor the people who have been in China recently who are here in the U.S.

It is impossible, impossible to cutoff the flow of people from China to the United States.

We ought to be reaching out to them to see what we can do to help them.

the only practical thing we can do is to monitor those who are coming here to this country, who are bringing medicines to this country, who are bringing goods.

it is my studied opinion that we will never reduce that to zero due to trade and due to travel of Americans and Americans' family members.

I do not think so, Congressman. And, again, this is one reason why I think we need a high-level coordinator at the White House who can be in touch with foreign governments at other high levels.

I think H.R. 2166 is vital legislation. I hope this committee and the Congress will act on it, bipartisan as well, as it should be.

this isn't a partisan issue, and I reiterate that this is not a partisan issue.

The first responsibility of this government is to keep the American people safe.

My claim is that he should have done it or should be doing it.

I certainly do not think so, Congressman Perry. I think the WHO is performing better now than it was during the Ebola response 5 years ago.

There is no restriction on Americans going back and forth.

First, before it was imposed, 300,000 people came here from China in the previous month.

We do not have a travel ban, we have a travel band-aid right now.

President Obama launched a whole-of-government effort, he appointed me to lead a team at the White House to coordinate it.

Epidemic response should not be a partisan issue. The coronavirus will certainly not ask anyone's political affiliation before infecting them.