Fauci warns Senate that reopening U.S. too quickly could lead to ‘really serious’ consequences

Top federal health officials are being pressed during a highly anticipated Senate hearing Tuesday on whether the country is ready to reopen, with Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, warning that “consequences could be really serious” if states move too quickly.

The panel’s chairman and witnesses are appearing remotely in an unusual session that includes the first congressional testimony from Fauci, a key member of the White House task force, since President Trump declared the coronavirus crisis a national emergency March 13.

Appearing with Fauci are Stephen Hahn, head of the Food and Drug Administration; Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Brett Giroir, an assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services who is in charge of coronavirus testing.

The hearing before the Republican-led Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is titled “COVID-19: Safely Getting Back to Work and Back to School.” But Democrats are also seizing the opportunity to focus on shortcomings in the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic to date.