Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar appeared on Capitol Hill Friday morning after testing negative for the coronavirus.
Out of an abundance of caution I was tested for COVID-19 this morning and the result was negative. I will be testifying before Congress as scheduled.
Wishing @POTUS and @FLOTUS and all those with COVID-19 a swift and complete recovery.
— Alex Azar (@SecAzar) October 2, 2020
He tweeted that out of an abundance of caution he was tested and would testify before Congress as scheduled. He also wished the Trumps and “all those with COVID-19 a swift and complete recovery.”
Azar repeated that sentiment in his opening statement before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.
He also said the U.S. is making progress on the health crisis and encouraged people to “wear a face covering when you can’t watch your distance.”
Chairman James Clyburn, D-S.C., sent along his well wishes to the Trumps, but then quickly blamed the president for his response to the virus as “a failure of historic proportions.”
“We wish for all of them a speedy and complete recovery. As Americans, we pride ourselves on being the most scientifically advanced nation in the world with the best doctors and public health experts,” Clyburn said. “That is why it has been so heartbreaking to watch the administration squander this legacy by refusing to lead, ignoring our scientists and putting politics over the health of the American people.”
He later said it was a mistake that Trump refused to coordinate a national strategy and left up the response to the states.
