Trump administration blocks top US health official from testifying at House Hearing

The Trump administration has blocked the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield from testifying at a hearing before a US House Education and Labour Committee to discuss steps to reopen schools amid the novel coronavirus disease pandemic, Sputnik reported.

Committee Chairman Robert Scott said in a press release on Friday (local time), "It is alarming that the Trump administration is preventing the CDC from appearing before the Committee at a time when its expertise and guidance is so critical to the health and safety of students, parents, and educators."

Scott added that the lack of transparency does a disservice to the many communities in the United States struggling with decisions to reopen schools this fall.

President Donald Trump has been pushing for schools to reopen and has criticised the CDC school reopening guidelines as being too tough. Vice President Mike Pence has emphasised that schools do not need to follow these guidelines.

The CDC is not expected to make changes to its guidelines despite Trump's criticism, according to media reports.

( With inputs from ANI )