Accessibility statementSkip to main content Democracy Dies in Darkness Sign in Next articles Coronavirus pandemic health Free covid tests by mail program revived by Biden administration Science Scientists again link covid pandemic origin to Wuhan market animals Health Do you need another covid shot? Test your coronavirus knowledge. Health Andrew Cuomo, once a covid star, grilled by Congress over pandemic missteps Health Coronavirus vaccines, once free, are now pricey for uninsured people Health New Novavax, mRNA coronavirus vaccines are approved. Here’s what to know. Health New covid vaccines for summer variants slated for approval late next week D.C., Md. & Va. Caught by surprise: How covid summer is affecting the D.C. region Health Covid summer wave spreads across U.S., even infecting Biden Health Fauci dismisses ‘preposterous’ allegations that he led covid coverup Health ‘I took an oath to do no harm’: The two doctors wrestling over Fauci’s lega... 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(Video: Team Trump Online) ![\\"\\"](\\" apps/imrs.php?src= authors/washpost/44f31222-8f22-4a07-b0eb-c77cbf11540a.png&h=196&w=196\\"/) Analysis by Glenn Kessler May 14, 2020 at 3:00 a.m. EDT “They claim pandemics only happen once every hundred years but what if that’s no longer true? We want to be early, ready for the next one, because clearly the Obama administration did not leave to this administration any kind of game plan for something like this.” — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), in an online discussion hosted by the Trump campaign, May 11, 2020 There is little continuity in the top levels of the U.S. government when one political party replaces the presidential administration led by another. The natural inclination is to ignore much of the work left behind by the previous folks — and to reinvent the wheel all over again. Story continues below advertisement But former Obama administration officials cried foul after McConnell’s comments. “We literally left them a 69-page Pandemic Playbook.... that they ignored,” tweeted Ron Klain, the former “Ebola czar” in the Obama administration. Advertisement What’s going on? ### The Facts Klain is referring to a 40-page document (not counting appendixes) first revealed by Politico — a National Security Council staff playbook on fighting pandemics. Now, just about every war plan falls apart with the first battle, but a case could be made that there was certainly useful information in the playbook. ✅ Follow Fact-checking politicians Follow Most notably, the color-coded document lists dozens of pointed and detailed questions that top policymakers should be asking themselves if a novel virus suddenly emerges overseas. For instance: Story continues below advertisement > Is there sufficient personal protective equipment for health-care workers > who are providing medical care? If YES: What are the triggers to signal > exhaustion of supplies? Are additional supplies available? If NO: Should the > Strategic National Stockpile release PPE to states? Instead, the Trump administration placed a big bet on a limited travel ban on non-U.S. citizens coming from China — and then scrambled to fill gaps in stocks of PPE when cases of covid-19 exploded after the administration failed to rapidly set up a nationwide testing regime. The document laid out other steps, recommending a faster pace than the approach undertaken by the Trump White House. Advertisement The playbook also stressed that “early coordination of risk communications through a single federal spokesperson is critical” — certainly not the Trump administration’s style, with its dizzying mix of rotating stars (centered on the president). The playbook also helpfully details the responsibilities and expertise of each agency that could be tasked with dealing with such a crisis. At the very least, the document could have served as a starting point for action and might have helped officials understand the gravity of the problem sooner. Story continues below advertisement Still, a Trump NSC official told Politico the plan was of little value. “We are aware of the document, although it’s quite dated and has been superseded by strategic and operational biodefense policies published since,” the official said. “The plan we are executing now is a better fit, more detailed, and applies the relevant lessons learned from the playbook and the most recent Ebola epidemic in the [Democratic Republic of the Congo] to COVID-19.” Advertisement One would certainly hope that three years into the administration, the Trump White House would have developed its own plans. As we have previously reported, Trump folded an NSC office devoted to pandemics into another bureau. The staff slots did not disappear, and at least initially the key mission of team remained a priority, but over time expertise in the issue may have been lost. The Obama administration also set up an initiative called PREDICT, a $200 million pandemic early-warning program that supported staff in 60 overseas laboratories, including in Wuhan, China. It was launched in 2009 after the 2005 H5N1 outbreak sparked global fears of an epidemic. But the Los Angeles Times reported the Trump administration abandoned the effort two months before the new coronavirus emerged in Wuhan. Story continues below advertisement David Popp, a McConnell spokesman, acknowledged the existence of the playbook but cited a shortage of PPE when Trump took office and said “even the experts underestimated the impact of this virus. This is a unique crisis and we are all adapting to the public health and economic challenges.” He added there was no playbook for the economic aspects of the crisis and “McConnell wrote that playbook — The CARES Act — to help combat the economic fallout from this pandemic.” ### The Pinocchio Test McConnell is wrong to say the Obama administration left “no game plan” to deal with a pandemic; the Obama team crafted a detailed document setting forth questions and policies that should be considered, as well as put in place programs that might have helped spur action sooner. The Trump administration ignored that document and pursued its own course when confronted with a once- a-century health crisis. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement Of course, every administration reinvents the wheel and often casts aside the work of its predecessor. White House operations also reflect the personality of the principal. Trump has never been one to rely on planning documents or detailed policy processes, preferring instead to go with his gut. So even if lower-level officials had followed the Obama plan step by step, it’s unclear that it would have made a difference. McConnell earns Three Pinocchios. There was game plan left behind by the Obama administration, but whether it was suited to the moment is unclear. Update, May 15: McConnell acknowledged his mistake in a Fox News interview on May 14, after this fact check appeared. “I was wrong,” McConnell said. “They did leave behind a plan. I clearly made a mistake in that regard. As to whether or not the plan was followed and who is the critic and all the rest, I don’t have any observation about that because I don’t know enough about the details of that ... to comment on it in any detail.\" Advertisement Story continues below advertisement Regular readers know that we generally do not award Pinocchios if a politician acknowledges error before the fact check is published. McConnell missed that opportunity but his candor is to be applauded. Too few politicians are willing to say the simple words: “I was wrong.” ### Three Pinocchios (About our rating scale) Send us facts to check by filling out this form Sign up for The Fact Checker weekly newsletter The Fact Checker is a verified signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network code of principles The Washington Post Fact Checker is working with the CoronaVirusFacts/DatosCoronaVirus Alliance, a coalition of more than 100 fact- checkers who are fighting misinformation related to the covid-19 pandemic. 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They claim pandemics only happen once every hundred years but what if that’s no longer true We want to be early ready for the next one because clearly the Obama administration did not leave to this administration any kind of game plan for something like this