President Biden
Joe Biden Russia and China tensions rise with White House New challenges for Biden after strong start Feinstein opens the door to support filibuster reform MORE On Friday, he made his first visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters since taking office to thank scientists and workers there for their efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
“We owe you a huge debt of gratitude and we will do it for a long, long, long time,” Biden told a small group of CDC officials gathered in an operating room.
Biden has repeatedly focused on his administration’s respect for science and broader support for a science-based approach to the virus among the public.
The comments seemed to be a subtle blow to the former President Trump
Donald Trump: Illinois House adopts a resolution condemning the state representative. Florida Democrats call for re-election after former state senator falsifies race Biden and Harris to discuss voting rights with Stacey Abrams in Atlanta, which has repeatedly undermined its CDC director and other top health officials by offering unproven ideas about coronavirus treatments and misleading comments about the severity of the pandemic.
“The public is grateful to you, because it’s about science,” Biden said. “It simply came to our notice then. I understand. And we will not go back to the old days, even if tomorrow the whole administration has changed. I think you’ve changed things. You changed them in a way that will make everyone healthier in this country … because you speak the truth and science to power. “
Biden continued to praise the CDC for “changing the country’s psyche” as it enters the second year of the pandemic.
The president’s visit to the CDC coincided with the day his administration exceeded 100 million vaccinations, meeting Biden’s stated goal for his first 100 days on his 59th day in office.
Biden was joined at the CDC by Vice President Harris and the agency’s director Rochelle WalenskyRochelle WalenskyBiden hits Trump on first visit to CDC CDC says three meters away is safe in schools Urgency to keep COVID-19 testing at work MORE. Officials provided a briefing on the state of the pandemic, including the state of coronavirus variants across the country, COVID-19 testing, therapeutic development and how the virus has had a disproportionate impact on minority communities.
The trip to the Atlanta headquarters was a late addition to Biden’s program. Initially, it was scheduled to promote the passage of a $ 1.9 trillion aid package during a rally with Harris. But the two changed their plans after a shooting near the city left eight people dead, most of them Asian. The shootings took place amid a growing increase in anti-Asian violence during the pandemic.