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US President Donald Trump’s administration allegedly pressured the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to downplay the risk of reopening schools during the widespread coronavirus. The New York Times report says the push includes members of the Trump administration pressured the CDC to find alternative data that showed the novel virus had a little effect on children. The report pointed to the documents and interviews from current and former White House officials. Trump officials reportedly spent weeks convincing the CDC to find alternative data that went along with President Donald Trump’s 2020 election plan. It includes reviving the economy and reopening schools. A former member of Vice President Mike Pence’s staff informed the publication that she was asked on one occasion by Marc Short to convince CDC leaders to find proof that the novel virus had little to no impact on children.

A former aide, Olivia Troye said she regretted being complicit in the efforts made by the administration of President Trump to influence the CDC. Troye said, “You’re impacting people’s lives for whatever political agenda. You’re exchanging votes for lives, and I have a serious problem with that”. Point to be noted that she’s vocally come out against President Donald Trump and criticized his administration. A member of the White House’s coronavirus taskforce, Dr. Debroah Birx also reportedly pressed for the CDC to incorporate a document that claimed children would experience long-term effects on their mental health if schools remained closed. The document also claimed asymptomatic children were unlikely to spread the virus. The alleged document was created by the Department of Health and Human Services’ agency the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Dr. Birx asked the CDC director, Dr. Robert Redfield, in July to include the document in an introduction of the school reopening guidance. It is noteworthy that CDC scientists pushed back at the document, citing numerous errors and stating it diminished the impact of the coronavirus on children. The guidance was released with the introduction but the asymptomatic line about children was not included. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association found a dramatic increase in children contracting the virus in recent weeks. Trump administration pushed for the recommendations to be revised over concerns they were too expensive and difficult for districts to follow after CDC released its guidance for reopening schools over the summer.