About two-dozen Republican lawmakers urged President Joe Biden to withdraw his reported appointee to head the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) due to her claims about COVID-19 policies.
Reports earlier this month suggested that Mandy Cohen may be tapped to become the next CDC following the pending departure of current CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. Cohen, an Obama administration veteran, was the former North Carolina secretary of health.
“Dr. Cohen is unfit for the position,” the Republican lawmakers, led by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), wrote in a letter to the administration. “Throughout her career, Dr. Cohen has politicized science, disregarded civil liberties, and spread misinformation about the efficacy and necessity of COVID vaccinations and the necessity of masks, during her time as the Secretary of the North Carolina Health and Human Services.”
Regarding the reports that Cohen may be appointed, the White House has not issued any public comment. The Epoch Times has contacted the Biden administration for comment regarding the letter.
“She also has a history of engaging in partisan left-wing politics,” Republican lawmakers said in their letter Tuesday. “As Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Cohen was a proponent of unnecessary, unscientific COVID restrictions on school children, stating in July 2021 that ‘Schools with students in K-8th grade should require all children and staff to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status. Schools with students in 9th-12th grades should ensure that anyone who isn’t fully vaccinated, including students, wear a mask indoors.’”
They further alleged that a North Carolina school district sought to not impose mask mandates on students during the pandemic, but Cohen, in her capacity as the state health director “threatened to bring legal action against the district.” Other issues, they said, include her public campaigning for Democratic Party candidates running for office during the 2022 midterm elections.
“Given her strong affiliation with the Democrat Party and the COVID-19 lockdowns, it will be difficult for the American people to trust Dr. Cohen to run the CDC as a nonpartisan actor who makes objective decisions rooted in scientific data, and not in political expediency. Therefore, we urge you to reverse course on Dr. Cohen’s reported appointment to the Director of the CDC,” they wrote.
Cohen was also criticized for a photo she posted on Twitter in August 2020 that shows her wearing a cloth mask with a photo of former federal health official Dr. Anthony Fauci. She also wrote that face masks were one of the best ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
After reports this month indicated that the administration would name her to the position, some social media users re-surfaced a 2022 video in which she talks about her decision-making process. In the clip, Cohen said she often spoke with a health official in Massachusetts to craft COVID-19-related rules.
A formal announcement is slated to come this month after Biden administration officials finalize the paperwork, officials told the Washington Post, which also reported that she “worked closely” with former Biden COVID-19 czar and now chief of staff Jeff Zeints. Cohen, meanwhile, has not issued any public comments, including on social media, about those reports.
In a recent speech, Cohen appeared to defend her tenure as the top health officer in North Carolina. “Trust was not built at the national level, but I know trust was built in North Carolina,” Cohen said, saying that her state used data dashboards and news conferences to boost confidence in the state’s response to COVID-19.
If Cohen does take over the sprawling agency, she will be faced with a daunting task. During the pandemic, public opinion has largely soured against the CDC in the midst of the pandemic.
In the midst of criticism against the health agency, Walensky announced it would overhaul its operations in an attempt to make it more transparent and accountable.
