California Lawmakers Call Out Feds for Dodging Coronavirus Briefing

A group of California lawmakers is calling out the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for not being more transparent about a whistleblower complaint that alleged federal workers may have been exposed to the COVID-19 coronavirus at military bases that received evacuees in the state.

The complaint alleges some federal workers from the Administration of Children and Families (ACF) – which is overseen by HHS – who were sent to assist at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield and March Air Force Base near Riverside did not have the necessary protective gear or training when they were deployed to help Americans evacuated from China during the COVID-19 virus outbreak.

In response, North Bay congressman John Garamendi, Riverside County congressman Mark Takano and San Diego congressman Scott Peters – all of whom represent districts where evacuees from China are staying – asked for a briefing from HHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the situation.

So far, they say, no briefing has been held.

"My California colleagues and I sent a letter to HHS asking for a specific, definitive information on the whistleblower's complaint," said Garamendi. "To this date, we have not had that information. Even though the head of the CDC promised that they would get back to us."

Officials with HHS have said that no employees from the ACF were exposed to the COVID-19 virus.

"There are no positive cases of COVID-19 to which any ACF employees involved in the repatriation of individuals from China could have been exposed. Stated differently, no ACF employees involved with repatriating persons from China were exposed to any individuals who tested positive for the virus,” said an HHS spokesperson in a statement.

But Garamendi said that doesn’t address federal contractors working at military bases, who he says likely did come into contact with infected people.

“There were contractors or employees that provided culinary services as well as janitorial services at the Travis Base hotel,” said Garamendi. “There were clearly people that had the virus amongst the evacuees, we know that now. To say that there was no exposure is just flatly dishonest.”

Garamendi said he will continue to put pressure on the federal government to provide answers, and will ask for a hearing if they refuse to provide information.

“The community wants to know, and the community deserves to know, have these people been tested?” Garamendi asked. “Are they carrying the illness because they were not properly trained or equipped? We don’t know.”

Officials at Travis Air Force Base did not respond to a request for comment.

Others, like Riverside representative Takano, have voiced concerns about problems with COVID-19 testing early on, which federal officials admitted was an issue during the first few weeks of the outbreak.

“I think members of Congress need to establish that we cannot permit this administration to stonewall, to speak sideways, to deflect. You cannot do this with coronavirus, and a serious public health challenge,” said Takano. “I don’t want to wait months for a special counsel report to answer simple questions.”

HHS has stated that it would brief Congress and the public once an internal investigation into the whistleblower complaint has been completed.