WASHINGTON — Although the coronavirus pandemic is far from over, the White House plans to wind down the task force that is guiding the federal government’s response and hand off responsibility to individual agencies, a move aimed at distancing President Donald Trump from potentially unpopular public health decisions as he shifts his focus to the economy and his reelection.
Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday that the high-profile task force, which has issued social distancing guidelines and directly advised the president since January, could wrap up in the coming weeks and shift its work to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies.
“I think we’re starting to look at the Memorial Day window, early June window as a time when we could begin to transition back to having our agencies begin to manage — begin to manage our national response in a more traditional manner,” Pence told reporters.
The task force has met less often in recent days as Trump, following a sharp decline in his approval ratings, has stopped holding nightly televised briefings with Pence, public health officials and other members of the group tasked with charting the administration’s course in the coronavirus crisis.
