Epic Failed Leadership / U.S. National Security Strategy: The Defunding of America's Pandemic Influenza Watch Dog - USAIDs “PREDICT” Program: Super Bad Timing
President Trump: “Its gonna work out good – we only have 11 cases and they’re all getting better, (February 11, 2020)”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svrxYLvJYto
President Trump: “We have it totally under control, I think it’s all gonna work out fine” “ we think it’s going to have a very good ending” (January thru February 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr6lnPVc4tg
June 3, 2020: Wave 1 COVID-19: 108,599 Americans Dead (www.worldometers.info).
In September 2019, a handful of weeks before Wuhan, China’s COVID-19 outbreak, The U.S. Federal Government, accountable to, and led by, President Trump, defunded USAID’s “PREDICT” program: https://www-latimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-04-02/coronavirus-trump-pandemic-program-viruses-detection?_amp=true&usqp=mq331AQFKAGwASA%3D&_js_v=0.1#aoh=15909500235675&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fscience%2Fstory%2F2020-04-02%2Fcoronavirus-trump-pandemic-program-viruses-detection (United States Agency for International Development – “The World’s Premier International Development Agency: https://www.usaid.gov/)”
In May 2018, President Trump’s National Security Council (NSC) eliminated the “Global Health Security Office” responsible for monitoring the threat of a global pandemic. When asked about dismantling this key office, President Trump replied: “I didn't do it. ... I don't know anything about it” (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/03/18/coronavirus-did-president-trumps-decision-disband-global-pandemic-office-hinder-response/5064881002/)
Leadership folks! Leadership! Accepting responsibility and accountability.
While the Trump administration was dismantling, or draining the swamp as some might call it, of agencies and offices responsible for monitoring the threat of a global pandemic, and more focused on political I-Love-Me “Rally’s,” diverting money from other agencies to build a southern boarder wall, digging up dirt on his perceived political rival in his bid for re-election, and defending himself from impeachment proceedings, he took his eye off the ball – his number one job, the security of America as he describe it in the National Security Strategy document he signed in December 2017 – and let us all down.
Now we’re left with the carnage of more than 100,000 Americans dead – and counting. I don’t blame President Trump for the emergence of COVID-19, but holding him accountable for America’s response and finding itself unprepared to mitigate the known eventuality of a viral outbreak is an inexcusable – unforgivable – response to a historic human calamity.
Folks, the NSC is the President’s closest and highest-level office that is responsible for daily threat briefings to the President. It is the single most important office that he must focus his attention on and get right – every day – that’s what we pay the President to do!
USAID, before defunding it, had the “PREDICT” program weeks before the outbreak in Wuhan, China erupted. USAID and the “PREDICT” program was charged with working in China (and many other countries), in Wuhan, in Wuhan’s infectious disease labs, monitoring, training, and equipping Wuhan’s technicians and scientists, with the blessing of China, regarding the possibility - the inevitability - of a virus outbreak (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/03/18/coronavirus-did-president-trumps-decision-disband-global-pandemic-office-hinder-response/5064881002/).
Perhaps the most egregious factoid is the United States National Security Strategy (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/NSS-Final-12-18-2017-0905.pdf) signed by President Trump himself in December of 2017. It outlines the threats to America, prioritizes them, and describes what he will do, be accountable for, and take responsibility for, during his tenure as President. Pandemic influenza is listed in the Table of Contents in “Pillar I” of threats to America and second behind “Defending Against Weapons of Mass Destruction” and ahead of “Strengthen Border Control and Immigration Policy.” Take a look, I make nothing up. Some excerpts:
NSS: “Priority efforts: (Detect and Contain Biothreats at their Source).”
· “We will work with other countries to detect and mitigate outbreaks early to prevent the spread of disease.” (Failed).
· “We will encourage other countries to invest in basic health care systems and to strengthen global health security across the intersection of human and animal health to prevent infectious disease outbreaks.” (Failed).
· “We will work with partners to ensure that laboratories that handle dangerous pathogens have in place safety and security measures.” (Failed).
· “At home, we will strengthen our emergency response and unified coordination systems to rapidly characterize outbreaks, implement public health containment measures to limit the spread of disease, and provide surge medical care—including life-saving treatments.” (Failed).
Folks, you were let down in epic fashion – plain and simple. How can you support and excuse Senator Mike Lee, and the Republican Party – and its leadership for Senator Lee’s deliberate efforts to describe the leadership in Washington as a “Gift” and Senator Mike Lee’s effort to act as co-chair responsible for leading the campaign to re-elect his leadership - President Trump - in the face of such undeniable facts. Man, wouldn’t you be embarrassed to play that role, Senator Lee’s role? Folks, re-electing supporters of leadership that says: ““I didn't do it. ... I don't know anything about it” would be a failure of us all as voters. America will fail if you do not hold your leaders to account. We need competent focused leadership that figures out how to unite – YES UNITE – America, and not divides America.
Vote for competent focused leadership – not a democrat, not a republican, not a legal clerk in 2022: Vote for COL Michael “Mike” Seguin www.UtahBullMooseParty.com I’ll always tell you the truth, and “Do-the-Right Thing.”