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mahatmakanejeeves

(57,675 posts)
Thu Feb 27, 2020, 12:16 PM Feb 2020

Snopes: Did Trump Fire the US Pandemic Response Team?

Hat tip, commenter 2patricius2 at Joe.My.God:

Trump Taps Pence To Lead Coronavirus Response Team
February 26, 2020

{snip}

2patricius2 KnownDonorDad • 3 hours ago • edited
From Snopes about Trump and our ability to handle pandemics:: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-fire-pandemic-team/

Fact Checks
Politics
Did Trump Fire the US Pandemic Response Team?
As a new coronavirus spread in 2020, so did concerns about the United States' preparedness for a potential pandemic.
BETHANIA PALMA
PUBLISHED 26 FEBRUARY 2020

Claim

The Trump administration fired the U.S. pandemic response team in 2018 to cut costs.

Rating



Origin

Amid warnings from public health officials that a 2020 outbreak of a new coronavirus could soon become a pandemic involving the U.S., alarmed readers asked Snopes to verify a rumor that U.S. President Donald Trump “fired the entire pandemic response team two years ago and then didn’t replace them.”

The claim came from a series of tweets posted by Judd Legum, who runs Popular Information, a newsletter he describes as being about “politics and power.” The commentary is representative of sharp criticism from Democratic legislators (and some Republicans) that the Trump administration has ill-prepared the country for a pandemic, even as one is looming.

Legum outlined a series of cost-cutting decisions made by the Trump administration in preceding years that gutted the nation’s infectious disease defense infrastructure. The “pandemic response team” is a reference to news stories from spring 2018 reporting that White House officials tasked with directing a national response to a pandemic had been ousted.

Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer abruptly departed from his post leading the global health security team on the National Security Council in May 2018 amid a reorganization of the council by then-National Security Advisor John Bolton. Ziemer’s team was disbanded. Tom Bossert, who as The Washington Post reported, “had called for a comprehensive biodefense strategy against pandemics and biological attacks,” had been fired one month prior.

It’s true that the Trump administration axed the executive branch team responsible for coordinating a response to a pandemic and did not replace it, eliminating Ziemer’s position and reassigning others, although Bolton was the executive at the top of the National Security Council chain of command at the time.

{snip}
36 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Snopes: Did Trump Fire the US Pandemic Response Team? (Original Post) mahatmakanejeeves Feb 2020 OP
K&R smirkymonkey Feb 2020 #1
Ditto and "fuck"! PCIntern Feb 2020 #2
Hey, come on now, this move probably saved enough to pay for several of Trump's golf vacations! (nt) klook Feb 2020 #3
Future Civics Class? Newest Reality Feb 2020 #4
When did Snopes get so mealy-mouthed? gratuitous Feb 2020 #5
+100 Duppers Feb 2020 #25
the way republicans and/or russians used ebola in 2014 elections suggests at some level they were certainot Feb 2020 #36
Kick. MontanaMama Feb 2020 #6
I have been doing just that for the last two days on Facebook. gordianot Feb 2020 #7
Let's make this a major campaign issue IronLionZion Feb 2020 #8
By all means, make it a campaign issue. Haggis for Breakfast Feb 2020 #26
I'd love to hear how The Wall will protect us from this krispos42 Feb 2020 #9
The pandemic response team was set up under the Obama administration right? panader0 Feb 2020 #10
I don't know. If so, it was most likely for the H1N1 pandemic flu. NT mahatmakanejeeves Feb 2020 #12
I thought it was about ebola. panader0 Feb 2020 #15
Could be. Come to think of it, that might be it. Thanks. NT mahatmakanejeeves Feb 2020 #16
That is what I remember . Kathy M Feb 2020 #20
Thanks for posting this. JudyM Feb 2020 #11
Will this be it? TommyCelt Feb 2020 #13
It might sell people on MFA candidates. wnylib Feb 2020 #29
Of course not.... Chainfire Feb 2020 #34
Another impeachable offense. nt yaesu Feb 2020 #14
No need to worry Nature Man Feb 2020 #17
To repeat SNOPES answered YES Trump fired the pandemic response team in 2018 to cut costs. usaf-vet Feb 2020 #18
Spread the news far and wide Blue Owl Feb 2020 #19
D Party and Mayor Mike: DonaldsRump Feb 2020 #21
Popular Information is a really good newsletter. eilen Feb 2020 #22
He fired and defunded everything and everyone BigmanPigman Feb 2020 #23
Damn, he's going to destroy the entire country PatSeg Feb 2020 #24
Health, shmealth. dchill Feb 2020 #27
Did Trump do that to free up money for his vanity wall? procon Feb 2020 #28
Take heart, this will be the end of him... Woodycall Feb 2020 #30
It may be the end of a lot of us. nt SunSeeker Feb 2020 #32
Unfortunately, you may be correct... Woodycall Feb 2020 #33
A pandemic will not end the Trump reign Chainfire Feb 2020 #35
K & R SunSeeker Feb 2020 #31

Newest Reality

(12,712 posts)
4. Future Civics Class?
Thu Feb 27, 2020, 12:21 PM
Feb 2020

Teacher: "Now students, listen carefully. One of the President's highest priorities is to placate Wall St. and keep it safe in order to assure his own, many re-elections to come. We will go into more details on a President's duties to himself, but first let's talk about public health and safety and how we are all on our own and why that is cost effective and patriotic."

gratuitous

(82,849 posts)
5. When did Snopes get so mealy-mouthed?
Thu Feb 27, 2020, 12:24 PM
Feb 2020
"It’s true that the Trump administration axed the executive branch team responsible for coordinating a response to a pandemic and did not replace it, eliminating Ziemer’s position and reassigning others, although Bolton was the executive at the top of the National Security Council chain of command at the time."


The Trump administration does nothing that isn't specifically and directly attributable to Trump. It doesn't matter if John Bolton was somewhere in the chain of command, the buck stops with the guy in the Oval Office. And this "Ziemer's team was disbanded" sounds like nothing so much as "mistakes were made." Ziemer's team didn't disband itself, did it? Someone handed those people their walking papers and it was Donald Trump.
 

certainot

(9,090 posts)
36. the way republicans and/or russians used ebola in 2014 elections suggests at some level they were
Fri Feb 28, 2020, 11:04 AM
Feb 2020

envisioning similar positive election results for 2020 and coronavirus. in 2014 jerome corsi (mueller report redactions, wikileaks) spent a full month of october 2014 hyping ebola every day on World Net Daily to feed the radio stations

this time someone was using soc media to get local congolese to attack ebola clinics, helping it spread. and limbaugh and sons were using radio to suggest congolese were part of the caravans 'invading' our borders

meanwhile trumps detention centers are overcrowded and poorly managed

at some level the trump fascists and those in 'defense' and 'security' industries still may still want a pandenic but some may have realized late that coronavirus was more than they could handle if they actually get the blame.

normally trump friend limbaugh leads efforts to blame democrats/liberals/socialists for everything the right fucks up and it usually works whether it takes aa few days of excuse-making and blame redirection or years - like who got us into iraq - but that shit may croak before too long and no one can take his place

gordianot

(15,248 posts)
7. I have been doing just that for the last two days on Facebook.
Thu Feb 27, 2020, 01:14 PM
Feb 2020

Almost every single bite I get from Trumpers in the wild try to deflect with a personal insult or reference random Democrats from Clinton’s, Pelosi to even Al Gore. To me that is a sure sign I am drawing blood. I leave them with this question that so far has never got a response; “Will you be able to afford the vaccination when it becomes available?” I smell real fear in Trump world.

IronLionZion

(45,579 posts)
8. Let's make this a major campaign issue
Thu Feb 27, 2020, 01:16 PM
Feb 2020

that this douchebag is throwing all of America under the bus just to save a few bucks. Tax cuts won't help in a world-wide pandemic as more Americans gets sick and die. Dumbass only cares about the stock market.

Haggis for Breakfast

(6,831 posts)
26. By all means, make it a campaign issue.
Thu Feb 27, 2020, 11:39 PM
Feb 2020

trump is a rank amateur, who thought that he could run this nation like he ran his businesses. And he certainly is trying to do exactly that -- run this nation right into the ground. He bankrupted his companies, now he'd bankrupting this country with his incompetent, unprofessional response to a serious medical threat to all Americans. This shit-for-brains fuck would see Americans die before he'd admit that he left us totally defenseless and unprepared for this.

MAKE THIS A CAMPAIGN ISSUE. You bet your ass, because if we don't get him out, it WILL be our asses on the line.

Look around the world and see what other nations - without our sophisticated medical apparatus - are responding.

Japan has closed all schools for a month. And may cancel the Summer Olympic Games.

Italy and France are advising citizens not to travel outside the countries.

Saudi Arabia is prohibiting Muslims from other nations to attend the Hajj this year.

South Korea has set up check-in testing all over the country. People are checked whenever they enter a business.

Yet, here, all the WH is concerned about is how the stock market is doing. This fat fuck has contradicted public health officials, I'm half expecting him to whip out his little sharpie and start drawing pictures for us.

MAKE THIS A CAMPAIGN ISSUE, AS WELL AS HOW HE HAS LEFT US UNPROTECTED AND UNPREPARED. AND HE HAS DONE IT FOR THE SAKE OF FUCKING MONEY.

panader0

(25,816 posts)
10. The pandemic response team was set up under the Obama administration right?
Thu Feb 27, 2020, 01:31 PM
Feb 2020

So of course he got rid of it.

usaf-vet

(6,224 posts)
18. To repeat SNOPES answered YES Trump fired the pandemic response team in 2018 to cut costs.
Thu Feb 27, 2020, 02:15 PM
Feb 2020
YES the Trump administration fired the U.S. pandemic response team in 2018 to cut costs.

Rating




https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-fire-pandemic-team/

DonaldsRump

(7,715 posts)
21. D Party and Mayor Mike:
Thu Feb 27, 2020, 09:31 PM
Feb 2020

You both have wads of cash. Please publicize this right, left, and center.

I cannot believe this fool who is occupying OUR White House is even dumber than I thought he was. Or maybe he just is evil and is intentionally doing this to hurt those who cannot afford the treatment.

Trump is destroying our country. IT IS TIME FOR US TO TAKE IT BACK.

eilen

(4,950 posts)
22. Popular Information is a really good newsletter.
Thu Feb 27, 2020, 10:12 PM
Feb 2020

I highly recommend it.

"Tearing down America's pandemic response infrastructure
In 2018, the Trump administration ousted Rear Adm. Tim Ziemer, who served as the Senior Director of Global Health Security. Ziemer was a member of the National Security Council, where he was responsible for coordinating "responses to global health emergencies and potential pandemics." Ziemer was lauded as "one of the most quietly effective leaders in public health." His work on Malaria during the Obama administration helped save 6 million lives.

"Admiral Ziemer’s departure is deeply alarming," Congressman Ami Bera (D-CA) said in May 2018. "Expertise like his is critical in avoiding large outbreaks." Beth Cameron, who served on the National Security Council in the Obama administration, said that Ziemer's ouster was “a major loss for health security, biodefense, and pandemic preparedness” and noted that it "is unclear in his absence who at the White House would be in charge of a pandemic."

John Bolton, who was serving as Trump's National Security Adviser at the time, did not just remove Ziemer. He decided to eliminate the position, and "the NSC’s entire global health security unit." Bolton also forced out Tom Bossert, a highly regarded expert who was Ziemer's counterpart at the Department of Homeland Security. "Neither the NSC nor DHS epidemic teams have been replaced," Foreign Policy reported in January.

Trump slashed funding for the CDC's epidemic prevention activities, forcing the agency to end its work "in 39 out of 49 countries because money is running out" in 2018. The program, which started in 2014, was designed to "help countries prevent infectious-disease threats from becoming epidemics." Among the countries no longer included: China.

Trump has also tried to decimate funding for the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, which is tasked with fighting the spread of disease. Congress, however, has refused to comply. So the Trump administration has simply let the group slowly atrophy, failing to replace members who quit or retire. "

BigmanPigman

(51,644 posts)
23. He fired and defunded everything and everyone
Thu Feb 27, 2020, 11:03 PM
Feb 2020

except his worthless enablers. We all saw this coming. We knew, we knew.....

procon

(15,805 posts)
28. Did Trump do that to free up money for his vanity wall?
Thu Feb 27, 2020, 11:44 PM
Feb 2020

I can't imagine anyone as self-serving as Trump who would place the whole country at risk to feed his ego.

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