Miller-Meeks Joins Probe on Possible Political Interference in CDC's School Reopening Guidance

Press Release

Today, May 11th, 2021, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02) joined members of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform in launching a probe into improper outside influence on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) school reopening guidance by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

"President Biden failed America's children when he bowed down to the bosses at the AFT rather than following the science and standing up for what is best for young students. The lives and education of America's children must be governed by medical science, not political science," wrote the Republican lawmakers in a letter to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

On February 12, 2021, the CDC released the Operational Strategy for reopening schools. According to emails obtained by Americans for Public Trust, the AFT was provided a pre-release copy of the CDC's school reopening guidance and successfully lobbied the CDC to change its final guidance that advised keeping more than 90 percent of schools closed. Currently, less than 50 percent of schools are fully reopened, despite experts saying there is no medical reason students cannot return to in-person learning.

The Republican lawmakers concluded, "The AFT was able to successfully bully the public health experts at the CDC into politicizing the guidance … It is unclear how many children were locked out of classrooms and negatively impacted by this disturbing change." As part of their probe, the Republican lawmakers call on Dr. Walensky to provide all documents, communications, and information related to the Operational Strategy, including those from the AFT, by May 25, 2021, as well as a briefing no later than May 18, 2021.

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