After reports there were not enough tests for the Senate to get back in session Monday, President Donald Trump said that is just not the case after 1,000 five-minute tests are going to be able to test the 100 U.S. senators.
In fact, the idle Democratic-led House can return, too, with ample testing.
Trump tweeted Saturday morning:
"There is tremendous CoronaVirus testing capacity in Washington for the Senators returning to Capital Hill on Monday. Likewise the House, which should return but isn't because of Crazy Nancy P. The 5 minute Abbott Test will be used. Please inform Dr. Brian P. Monahan. @MarkMeadows"
Dr. Monahan had rejected suggestions there were ample tests to monitor the health and safety of senators, The New York Times reported.
Trump was referencing Friday night's announcement by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar three Abbott Laboratories point-of-care ID Now devices and 1,000 tests would be allocated to the Senate.
Azar tweeted:
"Good news: as the Senate reconvenes to do important work for the American people during this public health crisis, we have now received an initial request and are sending 3 Abbott point of care testing machines and 1,000 tests for their use."
The White House coronavirus task force has helped address U.S. testing concerns in a number of ways, including pushing through approval of Abbott's testing device that finds a COVID-19 positive in as little as five minutes after a nasal swab. It takes as many as 13-15 minutes to determine if a nasal swab tests negative for the virus.
The White House has used the device in house to test those who come in contact with the president and his task force this spring.
There have been countless claims against the U.S. testing capacity, but the task force has often beaten back reports of lack of tests as a matter of unused capacity or a lack of knowledge of how to access existing testing capacity. The task force has take steps to assist state and local officials to find and unleash the testing capacity that is already available.
Trump has ripped the media and critics crying for testing capacity as the same failed narrative of calling for ventilators, which the U.S. always had enough of, if not a surplus. Trump said the U.S. is the king of testing and ventilators, the latter of which are now being provided to other countries throughout the world.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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