“My administration also stands ready to deploy CDC teams to support schools that are opening and schools that need help in safety and in order to safely reopen,” Trump said on Tuesday during a briefing.
The announcement left CDC officials scrambling this week to train-up staff to be able to deploy if they are called upon, the senior official said.
Trumps comments are the latest example of a breakdown in communication between the public health agency and the White House.
Early on in the coronavirus pandemic, the CDC Task Force regularly learned about assignments during presidential briefings, finding out in real time along with the public, a senior official said.
