brett giroir, assistant secretary of health and human services, then corrected the president. he said anyone who needs to get a test can get a test. is that even true right now, anyone who needs a test? because there are a lot of people out there who are asymptomatic and may have the coronavirus but they just want to get a test and found out if there is anything there. >> right, i mean, that is the bottom line, wolf. there is a prioritization, people are symptomatic, health care workers are probably at the top of the list, people who are symptomatic in general. also, you know, next to them on the list. but that's the challenging thing about this virus. you know, temperature checks and all these type of things, they can remain, you know, screening tools. but the issue is exactly what you said, that people who don't have any symptoms at all, not only could they have the virus, wolf, but as we've learned in what is called the presymptomatic period, before someone develops symptoms, they could actually be more c contagio contagious. i mean, this is tough. to be fair, this is a tou

you heard admiral brett giroir saying it's just not possible, 5 million is not possible, is he wrong?be clear about our numbers, we advocate 5 million a day with good contact tracing. if contact tracing is not effective, then you need 20 million a day. not exactly sure what the admiral meant, the white house testing blueprints on monday points to innovation pathway, significant number of tests. blueprints include that genome sequencing could turn on to testing. 400 sequencing machines in the country, each could do 750,000 samples a day. we have the capacity, white house blueprint pointed straight to it. interesting conversation. >> it's amazing in your estimation the difference between 5 million tests a day and 20 million is contact tracing. do you have a sense for contact tracing? >> mayor talked about 300,000 nationwide, that's good number to be focused on. important that every state and local government is making a clear plan. that's what matters now. cdc changed guidance for monday, includes asymptomatic people are now a priority, they were not previously. guidance for asymptomati

brett giroir today predicted the country will ramp up the testing extensively over the summer. >> by september, taking every aspect of development, authorization, manufacturing and supply chain into consideration, we project our nation will be capable of performing there is 40 to 50 million tests per month, if needed, at that time. >>> we have drew griffin with us to take a look at the president's claims, and drew, there's multiple data sources that show the u.s. is not the leader when it comes to testing. >> yeah, it's not really worth arguing about. all these different rating services show that per capita the u.s. is far behind other countries. what is interesting is this contest that the president seems to be making with other countries, trying to prove that america by numbers is better than anyone else, when the real number we should be looking at is what number is it that's going to make americans healthier or get over this crisis? and in this hearing today with brett giroir, you heard that number 40 to 50 million tests per months. that's what the scientists, health experts, say

stephen hahn, an assistant health secretary admiral brett giroir. several senators appeared including senator lamar alexander of tennessee who self quarantine after a member ofof s staff tested positive for c cov. republican rand paul of kentuckyky, the first senator to test p positive fofor the virir, appearared in person and did not wear a mask. on tuesday, nbc news published an unreleasesed white house rept showing a surge of coronavirus cases in heartland u.s. communities. topping the list was central city, , kentucky.. other hotspots include nashville,e, tennessee, dess moines, , iowa, and amilillo, texas. the leaked may 7 coronavirus task force report contradicts this claim made by president trump on monday. trump co-author of the country, the nunumbers are coming down rapidly. on capitol hill, house democratic leaders havave unveid a a massive 1800-page coronanavs relief package worth $3 trillion. the so-called heroes act would fund expanded unememployment benefits through january 2021, send most u.s. adults another one-time $1200 stimulus ch

. >> reporter: trump and his testing czar, admiral brett giroir, tout that the u.s. has tested a larger percentage of the population than south korea. but republican senator mitt romney ripped apart that claim. >> you ignored the fact that they accomplished theirs at the beginning of the outbreak while we treaded water during february and march. so partially as a result of that, they have 256 deaths and we have almost 80,000 deaths. i find our testing record nothing to celebrate whatsoever. >> reporter: so far this month, the u.s. has conducted about 3 million tests. >> by september, we project that our nation will be capable of performing at least 40 to 50 million tests per month, if needed, at that time. >> so many questions about the testing. let's get right to mary bruce. in addition to the testing, we also heard questions about the timing of a vaccine. the president with us last week, dialing back any promise of a vaccine by year's end. in fact, he told me we'll get through this, vaccine or not. but today, dr. fauci was pressed on this. he offered what he believ

the medical officials and trump testing chief admiral brett giroir are due on capitol hill wednesday. ironically, the committee announced in abundance of caution, the witnesses will testify by videoconference due to these unusual circumstances other prominent officials on the coronavirus task force are choosing not to go into self-isolation or quarantine based on their own exposure to the infected white house staffer, and based on the advice of the white house physician phillip? >> all right, kelly, thank you >>> as the pandemic hit home at the white house, president trump spent much of his mother's day online, unleashing an epic tweet storm. mr. trump posted well over 100 times on twitter throughout the day, much of it criticism focused on his predecessor during a call on friday, former president obama reportedly called the current administration's handling of covid-19, quote, a chaotic disaster and expressed concern about the justice department's decision to drop its case against michael flynn, warning that the, quote, rule of law is at risk. >>> more restrictions are being lifted i

you're at least six feet away from whoever is lighting your bong.buassistanetary fo health, admiral brett giroir that students could return, if colleges just get a little creative with tracing. >> there are some experimental approaches that look interesting-- if not promising-- that, for example, wastewater from an entire dorm or an entire segment of a campus could be tested to determine whether there's coronavirus in that sewerage, the wastewater. >> stephen: okay, i know that sounds gross, but keep in mind, collecting an entire dorm's wastewater is already the final task for sledges of sigma chi poopsilon. we also heard from f.d.a. commissioner stephen hahn, who apparently was testifying from the great beyond. ( as hahn ) "everything's going to be fine. if you don't believe me, ask your grandma. she's so excited to see you soon. come toward the light, senators." we also got a glimpse of one of history's greatest footnotes: former future vice president tim kaine, who apparently came straight to the senate from his other job as a cowboy for children's parties. ( as kaine ) "my first question for

yesterday trump and assistant secretary of health admiral brett giroir announced an effort to help statesxpand testing while also claiming the u.s. had surpassed south korea's number of coronavirus tests conducted per capita. trump even boasted that the u.s. had prevailed on testing. well, during today's senate hearing, mitt romney made it clear, admiral or not, he wasn't buying it. >> i understand that politicians are going to frame data in a way that's most positive politically, but of course they don't expect that from admirals. but yesterday you celebrated that we had done more tests and more tests per capita even than south korea. but you ignored the fact that they accomplished theirs at the beginning of the outbreak while we treaded water during february and march, and as a result, by march 6th, the u.s. had completed just 2,000 tests whereas south korea had conducted more than 140,000 tests. so partially as a result of that, they have 256 deaths, and we have almost 80,000 deaths. i find our testing record nothing to celebrate whatsoever. >> there were harsh words from senator rand

fauci, redfield, hahn and brett giroir will be testifying before the senate tomorrow. via teleconference. >> this will be one of the first opportunities for dr. fauci to tell the american people the unvarnished truth without the president lurking over his shoulder. dr. fauci, let it rip. >speak other white house respone to coronavirus to fire from former president barack obama in a call with supporters, according to the recording which was leaked, obama said in effective response would have been difficult for even the best of governments. on the trump administration response, he said >> it's been an absolute chaotic disaste disaster. when that mind-set of what's in it for me and to heck with everybody else, when that mind-set is operationalized in our government. >> across the country, governors continue to make progress to reopen. new york governor andrew cuomo announcing that he will end's statewide shutdown on friday, though only certain low risk businesses and activities can resume. but at the same time, the institute for health metrics and evaluation, again revisi

republican senator mitt romney of utah went so far as to admonish admiral brett giroir for his claims about testing as he stood next to president trump yesterday in the rose garden. >> yesterday you celebrated that we had done more tests and more tests per capita, even, than south korea. but you ignored the fact that they accomplished theirs at the beginning of the outbreak while we treaded water during february and march. i find our testing recording in to celebrate whatsoever. >> indeed, as romney pointed out, south korea lost 258 citizens to this virus. as of this moment the united states has lost at least 81,805. all of the testimony today serving to contradict president trump's "mission accomplished" declaration just yesterday about testing. >> we have met the moment. and we have prevailed. >> and as cnn's kaitlan collins reports for us now, dr. fauci also said today the death toll is likely higher than the more than 81,000 deaths we currently know about. >> reporter: as the president pushes for the nation to reopen, one of his top health experts had a dire warning about doing so

listen to this emperor has no clothes moment from the truth-telling senator to admiral brett giroir. >> i understand that politicians are going to frame data in a way that is most positive politically. i don't expect that from admirals. yesterday you celebrated that we have done more tests and more tests per capita even than south korea. but you ignored the fact that they accomplished theirs at the beginning of the outbreak while we treaded water during february and march. and as a result by march 6th the u.s. had completed just 2,000 tests, whereas south korea had conducted more than 140,000 tests. so partially as a result of that, they have 256 deaths and we have almost 80,000 deaths. i find our testing record nothing to celebrate whatsoever. the fact is their test numbers are going down, down, down, down now because they don't have the kind of outbreak we have. ours are going up, up, up as they have to. i think that's an important lesson for us as we think about the future. >> hmm. facts. stubborn things. the senator is right. there's nothing to celebrate. no matter what the presi

brett giroir who is leading the testing effort for this administration, they will be testifying remotely by video on tuesday focused on the coronavirus response. so this news of course after doctors redfield, hahn and fauci all announced they're going into quarantine for the next two weeks. different forms. some will be willing to come to the white house by taking precautions like wearing masks, forever. but this news coming after katie miller, the vice president's spokeswoman testified positive on friday for coronavirus. so far, though, wolf, no sense of whether additional white house officials will have for example dr. deborah birx, the white house's coronavirus coordinator, whether they will busy be entering into some form of self-quarantine. we've asked the white house repeatedly to say which officials will be teleworking as one of the top staffers focuses on coronavirus testing positive on friday. they have so far declined to comment on that, wolf. and what we are seeing again is a patchwork effort in terms of who decides whether to self-quarantine. but certainly notable that three

steven hahn, commissioner of the food and drug administration; and admiral brett giroir, assistant secretary of health at the department of health and human services. fauci, redfield, and hahn are all self-quarantining, after hicontact with an infected house staffer. the hearing itself was aha logisticalenge for senators, many of whom are working remotely. >> in a one-time exception, some senators-- includg e chairman-- are participating by video conference. >> nawaz: in a senate first, committee chair lamar alexander conducted e hearing from home, in selquarantine, after a staff member tested positive for the virus. the hearing room remained mostly empty. senators inside the room sat six feet apart, and most wore masks, including makeshift ones, like virginia senator tim kaine. the questions, at times, reflected the nation's political vide. senator chris murphy, democrat from connecticut, slammed the white house response, citing reports they shelved c.d.c. guidance on re-opening.th >> why didn' plan get released?at >> we have gen a series of guidances, as you know, and this outbreak respons

stephen hawn, and admiral brett giroir, also a physician. they all listened without objection. when our first guest senator chris murphy said this. >> dr. fauci, dr. redfield, you've made news today by warning us appropriately of the dangers of states opening too early. but this is infuriating to many of us, because it comes hours after the president declared that we have prevailed over coronavirus, which i'm just going to tell you, is going to make it much harder on state leaders to keep social distancing restrictions in place. it comes days after the president called on citizens to liberate their states from social distancing orders. and i think you're all noble public servants, but i worry you're trying to have it both ways. you say states shouldn't open too early, but then you don't give us the resources to succeed. you work for a president who is, frankly, undermining our efforts to comply with the guidance you have given us, and the guidance you have provided is criminally vague. >> president trump was not there today to grab the microphone and deflect the toughest questi

pressed by a reporter, health and human services official admiral brett giroir later clarified "anybody who needs a test can get one," specifying this covered people with covid-19 symptoms or who were knowingly exposed to the virus. at the briefing, trump was standing in front of a banner that read "america leads the world in testing." meanwhile, "the washington post" reports a planned visit to a pennsylvania factory producing personal protective equipment was scuttled last week after officials at the braskem factory expressed concerns for the health of its workers. trump has refused to wear face masks while out in public. last week he toured a honeywell plant in arizona without a mask, ignoring a sign ordering everyone inside to wear a facial covering. on monday, the white house ordered all west wing employees to wear masks unless at their desks, though the requirement does not extend to trump or to vice president mike pence. at the rose garden briefing, trump did d not wear a face mas. all l the reporters did. the e largest ststudy to date oe use of h hydroxychloroquine against the co

this is brett giroir. i just want to clarify that i did project that we have the ability to perform 40-50000000 tests in that time frame. if needed, at that time. i'm not making a proclamation. we have to understand where the epidemic is, with the community spread is, before we can estimate the number of tests that are needed. i was simply stating the fact that our combination of testing capabilities will be at that level, even barring new input from the nih. >> thank you very much, senator kaine. >> thank you, mr. chairman. gentlemen, thank you for being here this morning virtually but also for all you have been doing for these many, many months. doing okay right now, from a number's perspective. quite honestly, we want to keep it that way. because we know we have exceptionally vulnerable populations. we know we have a geography that is challenging. we know we have facilities that are very limited. last hearing, we had an opportunity to hear from dr. collins, and he shared where they are with a red x and

. >> and this is brett giroir. i have nothing else but to echo my colleagues. we work very closely together, all the scientists, all the physicians, and of course ambassador birx. other scientists within our group. we have a very productive working relationship with each other, and also with the president and vice president. it would not be confrontational, and i certainly feel we have the ability to honestly state our opinions and recommendations. that has been that way since the beginning. >> thank you, senator loeffler. senator murray, do you have closing comments? because i do, and i have two quick questions. >> sure. >> well, thank you. dr. fauci, president trump has said there's no question the essential part of reopening our economy safely and successfully developing and distributing a vaccine for covid-19. we need to plan now to put a vaccine, once it's proven safe and effective. but it is absolutely crucial, this planning process, from the clinical trial to distribution, that recognizes and addresses racial and ethnic disparities in our health system t

. >> reporter: trump and his testing czar, admiral brett giroir, tout that the u.s.d a larger percentage of the population than south korea. but republican senator mitt romney ripped apart that claim. >> but you ignored the fact that they accomplished theirs at the beginning of the outbreak, while we treaded water during february and march. so partially as a result of that, they have 256 deaths, and we have almost 80,000 deaths. i find our testing record nothing to celebrate whatsoever. >> reporter: so far this month, the u.s. has conducted about 3 million tests. >> so by september, we project that our nation will be capable of performing at least 40 million to 50 million tests per month if needed at that time. >> reporter: as for a vaccine, there are at least eight of them now in clinical development. and fauci says they are moving to produce some even before they know if they will work so that they can scale up quickly if any of them are approved. but this is a process that takes time. fauci says they're hoping they'll know if any of these vaccines can succeed by l

this is brett giroir. project we'll have the ability to perform the 40 to 50 million tests per months in that time frame and ip said if needed at that time. i'm not making a proclamation. we have to really understand what -- where the epidemic is, what the community spread is before we could estimate the number of tests that are needed. i was simply stating the fact that our combination of testing capabilities will be at that level even barring new input from the nih. >> thank you very much. senator cain. >> thank you and gentlemen thank you for being here this morning virtually but also for all you have been doing for these many, many months. -- is doing okay right now from a numbers perspective and quite honestly we want to keep it that way because we know we have exceptionally vulnerable populations, we know we have a geography that is challenging and we have facilities that are very limited, last hearing we had an opportunity to hear from dr. collins and he shared where they are with the red x and also

this is admiral brett giroir who's saying that about dr. zink. so, mr. president, as you can tell, the utmost i will generals is required -- the utmost diligence is required. so is planning and so is communication and bringing people along, particularly when you're asking them to take extreme measures. and this, again, because of the leadership we have, is something that i think so far is going well in our state. as commissioner crum said, alaskans are contrarian by nature. they want to be educated. they don't want to be forced. when they were told that it was the right thing to do to comply with mandates, that if we do this now, he said, it will hurt less later, alaskans did this. commissioner crum continued -- it was the most painful thing i've ever done, asking people to close their businesses but not as painful as it was for the people who actually had to shut down their businesses. very painful. but alaskans complied, tried to take care of the overall health of the population, and we worked together. that's what commissioner crum said. mr. president

the clerk: brett giroir of texas to be united states of the executive board of the world health organization. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent the senate vote on the nomination with no intervening action or debate, that if confirmed the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: without objection. the question is on the nomination. all in favor say aye. all opposed, no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the nomination is confirmed. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to legislative session for a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of s. res. 565 submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 565, recognizing the heritage, culture, and contributions of american indiana, alaska native and native hawaiian women in the unite