GOP congressman calls on White House to disband coronavirus task force

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) on Thursday called for the White House to dissolve its coronavirus task force so that health officials like Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx are prevented from contradicting many of President Trump’s "stated goals and actions" when it comes to the economy.

Why it matters: Maricopa County, part of which Biggs represents, has seen record-breaking spikes in coronavirus cases recently, with more than 52,000 total cases and 817 deaths — the highest in the state.

• Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, warned in congressional testimony this week that he would "not be surprised" if the U.S. begins reporting as many as 100,000 new coronavirus cases per day.
• "I'm very concerned and not satisfied with what's going on because we're going in the wrong direction," Fauci testified.

What they're saying:

"As our economy is restored, it is imperative that President Trump is not undermined in his mission to return our economy to greatness. Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx continue to contradict many of President Trump’s stated goals and actions for returning to normalcy as we know more about the COVID-19 outbreak."

This is causing panic that compromises our economic recovery. We can protect our most vulnerable from the COVID-19 outbreak while still protecting lives and livelihoods of the rest of the population. It’s time for the COVID-19 task force to be disbanded so that President Trump’s message is not mitigated or distorted.”

The big picture: New applications for unemployment remain historically high, even as weekly jobless claims continue to slowly level off. Many economists fear that the recovery will be stunted if coronavirus cases continue to skyrocket.

Go deeper: Coronavirus cases flat or growing in 48 states