Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed says President Trump's poor hantavirus response shows the administration is ill-prepared for a public health emergency.
Reed notes that a deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard an international cruise ship that infected Americans highlights the risks of cutting funding for the CDC and other health organizations.
Reed says defunding public health and critical research isn't just short-sighted, it inflicts a form of willful blindness.
He says lives should not be put at risk because of the administration's lack of coordination and weakened surveillance systems.
(Photo by Joao Luiz Bulcao / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)
Photo: JOAO LUIZ BULCAO / AFP / Getty Images