As the Biden administration scrambled last month to defuse anger over its sluggish response to the monkeypox outbreak, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra proposed a solution: Blame the states.

The federal government could only provide the tools and guidance needed to slow the disease’s spread, he told White House and health officials. It was up to the states to contain it, and the administration should make that clear.

The idea caused immediate alarm, according to people familiar with the matter. The Biden administration would look like it was ducking responsibility for managing a growing health crisis, officials cautioned. On top of that, it could alienate state health departments that had been critical to the fight against the coronavirus — and would be necessary allies if the U.S. had any hope of stamping out monkeypox…

“He doesn’t want to take the heat for others,” one senior administration official vented. “He’s just out of his depth.”