Rochelle Walensky, the outgoing director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will testify Tuesday in front of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic about the CDC’s response to the pandemic, including policy decisions on vaccine and mask mandates, public guidance regarding immunity and testing, and published guidance that kept children out of schools.
It will be Walensky’s final appearance in front of the committee before she steps down at the end of the month. She is scheduled to be the only witness to testify.
The select subcommittee said in a news release the policy decisions under Walensky’s watch “wreaked havoc on American society and in many cases, were not based on facts or data. Rather than following the science and adapting to global trends, the CDC put American lives at risk with conflicting language, burdensome guidance, and reached dubious policy conclusions.”
The select subcommittee has spent much of its time since the GOP gained control of the House investigating the origins of the pandemic. Its last hearing, on May 17, was on how COVID-19 policies affected mortality rates at nursing homes.
"A successful public health response requires public confidence,” said U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, who is chair of the select subcommittee, in the news release. “Fully investigating any policy failures and inaccurate messaging promoted by Director Walensky and her colleagues at the CDC during the COVID-19 pandemic will ensure that trust in our public health authority is restored.
“As the Select Subcommittee works towards our goal of successfully preparing our country to address a future pandemic, learning from the mistakes of public health officials at the highest response levels is an essential step towards accountability. I look forward to hearing Director Walensky’s testimony and learning more about the CDC’s policy decision failures under her leadership.”