WASHINGTON— U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee released the following statement after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced their revised guidelines for asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic testing of COVID-19.

“This is nuclear-grade incompetence. The constant flip-flopping on testing recommendations, driven by political, not medical considerations, is getting people killed and has to stop. President Trump’s political minions need to take their hands off the CDC, and Director Redfield should quit if they don’t. Lives are at stake, and nobody can trust the CDC when they keep changing their guidance on testing depending on the political winds,” said Murphy

Earlier this week, Murphy pressed CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield to clarify the agency’s previous testing guidance, which recommending limited testing for asymptomatic individuals, and whether the policy change was driven by pressure from the White House to decrease testing. It was later reported by the New York Times that the controversial guidelines came directly from HHS officials and skipped the CDC’s scientific review process.

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