New WH press secretary points to non-existent 'testing system'

The new White House press secretary believes Trump's helped create "the most expansive and accurate testing system in the world." I wish that were true.

NBC News reported this morning, "Testing for the coronavirus would have to be at least doubled or tripled from its current levels to allow for even a partial reopening of America's economy, public health experts say, but it is unclear how soon such an ambitious goal could be reached amid persistent shortages of testing supplies and a lack of coordination from the Trump administration."

As of this week, there's ample evidence that testing levels in the U.S. are not just failing to rapidly increase, they're actually stalling.

It was against this backdrop that White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, in just her second week on the job, declared on Twitter yesterday, "Under President [Donald Trump's] leadership we have quickly developed the most expansive and accurate testing system in the world."

That's certainly one way to look at the current landscape. The other way is to notice that there is no such U.S. testing system. The Washington Post reported overnight, "There is no national testing strategy, but rather a patchwork of programs administered by states with limited federal guidance."

Governors have said one of the most important factors in making those determinations is testing data, but Trump's plan does not contain a national testing strategy. Senior administration officials said that although the federal government will try to facilitate access to tests, states and localities will be responsible for developing and administering their own testing programs.

As strategies go, this one is quite woeful. Indeed, the New York Times had a striking report this week highlighting state-based difficulties with limited access to faulty tests -- a problem compounded by supply shortages.