Coronavirus Roundup: President Says Task Force Will Continue; Army Prepares for Training During Pandemic

President Trump said during an interview with ABC News on Tuesday "it's possible there will be some" deaths from the novel coronavirus as states begin to reopen. “But at the same time, we're going to practice social distancing, we're going to be washing hands, we're going to be doing a lot of the things that we've learned to do over the last period of time." As of Wednesday morning, in the United States there were 1.2 million coronavirus cases and 71,220 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University’s data. Here are some other recent headlines you might have missed.

Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning that the coronavirus task force will “continue on indefinitely with its focus on SAFETY & OPENING UP OUR COUNTRY AGAIN,” and will focus on vaccines and therapeutics. He also said, “we may add or subtract people to it, as appropriate.” This is a day after he and other administration officials said they were winding down the task force because of all the progress already made, as The New York Times reported. 

Dr. Rick Bright, who was ousted from his position as director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, filed a formal whistleblower complaint with the Office of Special Counsel. The complaint alleges Bright was “involuntarily transferred” to a lower position following his protected disclosures under the Whistleblower Protection Act as a result of pressure from “[Health and Human Services] leadership to ignore scientific merit and expert recommendations and instead to award lucrative contracts based on political connections and cronyism.” In addition to the recent events during the pandemic, some of the allegations date back to 2017. 

A federal judge in Miami ruled that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials can transfer detainees to other locations in order to decrease the populations at three South Florida facilities, rather than releasing them, The Miami Herald reported on Tuesday. “The court further clarifies its April 30, 2020, order to permit ICE to transfer detainees from the three facilities at issue,” said U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke. “However, ICE may only transfer detainees after first evaluating each detainee and making a determination as to the detainees’ eligibility for release.”

ICE is now posting information on its website on how many detainees were released during the coronavirus outbreak due to judicial orders, BuzzFeed News pointed out on Tuesday. The data table includes the field office, number of court-ordered releases and number of court-ordered releases with criminal charges or convictions.  

ICE said on Tuesday it’s partnering with industry experts from Pfizer, 3M, Citi, Alibaba, Amazon and Merck to combat coronavirus-related fraud. Read more about ICE’s “Operation Stolen Promises” here. 

The Army is preparing for the first large group to undergo training for an overseas deployment since the pandemic began, The Wall Street Journal reported. About 900 troops from the Fourth Security Force Assistance Brigade, based in Fort Carson, Colo., are expected to go to Afghanistan in the fall. The Army is working to accommodate public health guidance into the training at a southwestern Louisiana base where troops will arrive next month. 

Out of concern for “waste, fraud and abuse,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., asked the Pentagon for information by May 15 on the increased payments to defense contractors during the pandemic, Politico reported. "I am concerned that the change to the progress payments policy may be a cash subsidy that largely benefits big defense companies that can better withstand the economic shock caused by coronavirus, while leaving smaller, less financially resilient companies in the supply chain behind,” she wrote to Pentagon acquisition chief Ellen Lord.

Jared Kushner’s coronavirus team was “hampered” by the inexperienced volunteers he recruited from the private sector, according to a complaint filed in April with the House Oversight and Reform Committee obtained by The Washington Post. “The document alleges that the team responsible for [personal protective equipment] had little success in helping the government secure such equipment, in part because none of the team members had significant experience in health care, procurement or supply-chain operations,” the paper reported. “In addition, none of the volunteers had relationships with manufacturers or a clear understanding of customs requirements or Food and Drug Administration rules.”

Similarly, The New York Times reported that federal officials who worked on emergency plans for years were “layered over” by Kushner’s team consisting of volunteers mainly in their 20s from various investment and consulting firms, Goldman Sachs and Google. 

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, introduced a bill on Tuesday that would provide hazard pay for National Guard members and active duty troops working on the frontlines of the pandemic. The bill would direct the Pentagon to provide at least $150 in monthly tax-free hazard pay for the over 46,000 National Guard troops and 7,000 active duty troops helping to fight the COVID-19 outbreak.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt is preparing to go back to sea in a few weeks after the coronavirus outbreak aboard, Military Times reported on Tuesday. The ship has been docked in Guam for over a month. 

Defense Secretary Mark Esper pushed back on criticisms in an April 27 letter from Senate Democrats that claimed the department’s failure to respond quickly to the pandemic impacted morale and put service members’ health at risk. "I am very disappointed that members of Congress, particularly those who sit on the Armed Services committees and who receive weekly updates from us, would write a letter that includes a number of misleading, false or inaccurate statements," he told reporters on Tuesday, Politico reported. 

Brian Miller, nominee to be Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery, testified before a Senate panel on Tuesday that he would be independent and not seek permission from Trump before reporting to Congress. However, he was met with some skepticism from the Democrats, as The Washington Post reported. Miller, senior associate counsel for the White House Counsel’s Office, would not say he was involved in the president’s firing of Michael Atkinson, intelligence community inspector general, due his handling of the whistleblower complaint that sparked the impeachment investigation against President Trump. 

On Tuesday, the Interior Department Inspector General released a report about the department’s use of funds from the $2.2 trillion CARES Act as of April 28. Interior received $756 million from the relief package to support its various programs, Indian Country and Insular Areas. 

The Treasury and Interior departments said on Tuesday they are beginning to distribute the $4.8 million in relief funds to Native American tribal governments from the CARES Act. “Payment to tribes will begin today based on the population allocation, and will take place over several banking days,” they wrote. “Amounts calculated for Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act regional and village corporations will be held back until pending litigation relating to their eligibility is resolved.

The Internal Revenue Service will be having virtual “settlement days,” so underrepresented taxpayers can resolve their tax issues during the pandemic. Read more about the program here. 

Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., announced a bill on Tuesday that would create a multi-agency and industry task force to address air travel safety during and after the pandemic. “Experts across all of the relevant agencies and groups must come together to address the immediate challenges to safety in our skies, as well as start planning for the ‘new normal’ after the coronavirus subsides,” Markey said. “My legislation will task airports, airlines, aviation workers, public health experts and many others to develop comprehensive plans for protecting the safety and security of the flying public.”

Today’s GovExec Daily podcast episode looks at what it’s like to be a public servant during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Upcoming: White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany will hold a briefing at 4 p.m. 

Help us understand the situation better. Are you a federal employee, contractor or military member with information, concerns, etc. about how your agency is handling the coronavirus? Email us at newstips@govexec.com.