Around the country, epidemiologists are saying that one key for economic recovery during the pandemic will be expanded testing for the COVID-19. Independent U.S. Senator Angus King is critical of the president's position on this issue. King says President Trump has abdicated his responsibility to make testing available.
Even as many experts tout widespread testing as necessary for mitigating the pandemic and reopening the economy, King says Trump isn't taking the lead. Instead, he says Trump is trying to dump the responsibility for more testing on the states.
“We’re testing fewer people this week than we did last week. It’s just not anywhere close to where it ought to be in terms of numbers. And that’s what is holding us back.”
King says ending policies like social distancing and limits on the size of social gatherings could result in a resurgence of COVID-19 cases and undo progress that has been made in some parts of the country to combat the spread of the virus.
“He has a lot of tools that help us on this testing problem, and to turn it over to the governors as if they can somehow magically make it happen is just, its an abdication of federal responsibility.”
