TEST YOURSELF

Trump Admin’s Federal Testing Plan Leaves Testing to the States: WaPo

The long-awaited report leaves out guidance to states on meeting widespread testing goals, asserting that the government would “act as supplier of last resort.”

The Trump administration submitted a long-awaited report to Congress on Sunday that outlined a nationwide strategy for diagnostic testing, however it leaves out critical guidance on meeting testing goals and instead leaves states largely on their own in developing testing plans, The Washington Post reports. The White House has been under pressure from congressional Democrats, health officials, and governors to develop a national strategy to conduct robust diagnostic testing and antibody testing to determine potential immunity, both of which are crucial for safely reopening states. The Covid-19 Strategic Testing Plan reportedly says that each state should ideally test at least 2 percent of its residents in May and June and emphasizes that the federal government would “act as supplier of last resort.” The document, which expands on a “blueprint” that Trump unveiled last month, reads: “With support from the federal government to ensure states are meeting goals, the state plans for testing will advance the safe opening of America.”