Back in January, US National Security Council, the state department and other federal agencies reportedly argued about everything from how best to screen for sick travelers to the economic impact of any restrictions.
- In defending his strategy against the deadly coronavirus, President Donald Trump repeatedly has said he slowed its spread into the United States by acting decisively to bar travelers from China on Jan. 31.
The NSC staff ultimately proposed aggressive travel restrictions to high-level administration officials - but it took at least a week more for the president to adopt them, one of the government officials said. The battle within the White House over whether and how to stop infected travelers from China lasted nine more days.
A Treasury Department spokesperson said that Mnuchin “never objected to the decision to restrict flights from China.” The sources for this story, former NSC members, public health officials and others involved in, or briefed on, the administration’s response, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the record.The NSC, which operates within the White House to coordinate policies and recommendations involving national security across agencies, was at the center of the effort to formulate the early response to the outbreak.
Health agencies were scrambling to gather information, the two government officials involved in the deliberations said. Questions went back to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and experts across the government: How many travelers arrive daily from Wuhan, China, the initial site of the outbreak? What U.S.
At one point, during a meeting, Pottinger snapped at health officials that their approach “really has to take a step back,” so that national security interests could shape the response, the official said.
In its statement to Reuters, the CDC did not directly address what led to its ultimate decision to support the travel restrictions.
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