Complaint: American Oversight v. CDC and HHS — FOIA Request Violations

The United States could have saved tens of thousands of lives if social distancing had been adopted just one week earlier in March. But as the virus spread unheeded through communities, then President Donald Trump repeatedly downplayed the threat, assuring Americans that the coronavirus was just like the flu and that it would disappear on its own.

The early delays in devising coronavirus tests proved to be disastrous. Months into the crisis, shortages in testing capacity remained, severely impeding an effective response to the pandemic.

During the first months of the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government's frequent lack of clarity and the absence of a clear leadership structure hampered health agencies' and state officials' response to the crisis. American Oversight is investigating the coordination problems that beset federal and local health departments during the spring of 2020.