Name:   phil - Subject:   The other way around Date:   2/26/2020 11:10:32 AM (updated 2/26/2020 11:16:02 AM)

"In reality, the pandemic expert — Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer — left the National Security Council (NSC) voluntarily after then-National Security Advisor John Bolton was appointed.

Bolton disbanded the unit that Ziemer was supervising as part of an effort to downsize the bloated NSC staff. The purpose of the unit, which had overseen the global fight against Ebola, had largely been fulfilled.

It is true that Ziemer and his unit have not yet been replaced.

The Trump administration has indeed proposed cuts to the CDC, but they have not been passed by Congress.

Trump has not “defunded” the agency, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar has said that the new proposed budget would, in fact, prioritize the fight against coronavirus.

Recently, the administration reversed course, asking for $2.5 billion in emergency funding for managing the coronavirus."