White House plans changes to pandemic team

The White House coronavirus task force will shift to looking into how to reopen up the nation’s economy, President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday. After initially saying the group’s work would move to other federal agencies by Memorial Day, the president said on Wednesday it would continue its work “indefinitely.” One member, infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, will testify before the U.S. Senate next week about the Trump administration’s response to COVID-19. The White House turned down a request from the U.S. House of Representatives for Fauci to testify because Trump said the Democratic-controlled chamber only wants to criticize his administration.

What’s next on the task force’s agenda? The president tweeted the group, led by Vice President Mike Pence, will focus on restarting the economy and exploring vaccines and therapeutics. Trump also said the White House may “add or subtract people” from the group. “Our country is now in the next stage of the battle,” he said on Tuesday during his first public outing in two months at an N95 mask manufacturer in Phoenix. “Now we are reopening our country.”

Dig deeper: Read Katie Gaultney’s report on the confusion over what businesses remain essential during pandemic shutdowns.