SC legislators want DHEC’s COVID-19 advice without political spin
South Carolina lawmakers said the state’s top health officials must speak out more frankly and forcefully about the pandemic after learning that the state’s top COVID-19 tracker has not always agreed with the governor on how best to respond to the pandemic.
The legislators’ directive comes in response to recent news, reported exclusively by The State, that state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell had said in emails to agency public relations specialists that Gov. Henry McMaster’s staff has been “somewhat manipulative” in meetings prior to news conferences about the coronavirus. Bell also said her not speaking out more from “a policy perspective is one of the reasons that South Carolina is now among the states with the worst outlook.”
The State found the emails in a public records request.
This week, at least two legislators said they’d support Bell testifying before the House or Senate about her concerns.
Most people should be disturbed by the emails, said House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, D-Richland.
“To know that our public health is at risk of someone’s political will — be it the governor or anybody else,” Rutherford said Monday, saying he’d support Bell coming before the House to testify. “We need to take steps to separate the governor from DHEC (state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control) and the governor form our chief epidemiologist so that we can get data that is unvarnished by someone’s political ideology.”
Speaking to reporters Monday, McMaster brushed aside a question about whether there’s tension between he and Bell.
In Greenville, McMaster said his office makes decisions by weighing views from parents, business leaders and health officials.
The state on Monday surpassed 100,000 positive cases since the state’s first few back in March. Daily counts of new cases have been dropping in recent weeks as there have been many municipalities around the state enacting mask mandates. McMaster also has put in restrictions on bars and restaurants as well as other types of businesses recently allowed to reopen.
As of Tuesday, more than 2,000 people have died as a result of the virus.
“There are no tensions among any of us on the team, but there’s a lot of discussion that goes into making these decisions and because I’m the one who has to make these decisions,” McMaster said Monday. “You have one governor. He or she is the one who has to make those decisions. I’m confident we’re making the right decisions. Everyone has their input.”
McMaster defended his choices on how the state has closed down and reopened the economy amid the pandemic.
“I think that all things considered, the path that we’re charting and have charted and (are) charting now in South Carolina is the right one for South Carolina.”
Chain of command
The governor’s authority over the health agency is limited.
DHEC is not a cabinet agency, meaning it does not directly report to the governor.
But, the governor does appoint members to DHEC’s board, giving him influence over who leads the organization.
“DHEC public health officials routinely and collaboratively work with the governor’s office,’’ DHEC’s interim director Marshall Taylor told The State on Saturday. “Our role is to provide sound public health guidance to the governor so he can consider it, along with a myriad of other factors, when he is making decisions intended to be in the best interest of all South Carolinians.”
State Sen. Mia McLeod, D-Richland, said Bell is doing an “amazing job under the circumstances.”
“I’m sure she never imagined she would work as closely as she has had to work with this governor and this administration during a time like this and her expertise would be ignored and would not be taken to heart and not be utilized for the greater good,” she said.
“I’ve always wondered how much freedom she has to say what the science really says,” McLeod added.
State Rep. Jerry Govan, chairman of the S.C. Legislative Black Caucus, said he is happy to see Bell speaking up.
“Dr. Bell, I think, has established herself as being a credible individual as an epidemiologist,” Govan said. “What she says we should pay close attention to and she’s the expert in the area. That’s what should drive our decisions in this point, expertise, not politics.”
But lawmakers insisted that Bell needs to speak up, particularly if she does not agree with McMaster and his office.
“I want to hear from her,” said state Sen. Marlon Kimpson, D-Charleston. “I want to hear what she thinks. I’m not interested in hearing from politicians offering political rhetoric. Enough talk. It’s time for action. I’m very disturbed at state action to suppress valid opinions offered by agency in charge of public health.”
Senate President Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee; Senate Minority Leader Nikki Setzler, D-Lexington, and House Majority Leader Gary Simrill, R-York, did not respond by press time. The office of House Speaker Jay Lucas, R-Darlington, said Monday the speaker did not have a reaction to the story at this time.
Also, not every lawmaker said they had seen the emails, including House budget chief Murrell Smith, R-Sumter.
Neither had state Sen. Thomas Alexander, R-Oconee, who chairs the Senate subcommittee that oversees DHEC’s budget.
“I’ll let her comments stand,” Alexander said. “I have great respect and admiration for her work and great respect and admiration for the governor, certainly in these times we are working through in this pandemic. We just need to continue to address the needs of the citizens of our state.”
Bell is scheduled to testify Wednesday afternoon during the Senate’s select committee to reopen South Carolina’s economy.
Alexander chairs that panel, but told The State it is not his intent to discuss Bell’s comments.
“There’s always ways to second guess” McMaster’s approach to COVID-19, Alexander said.
“I think overall we face challenges whenever it would be opened up or reopened things.” Alexander said. “Giving all the components, he’s been very deliberative in the ways he’s gone about closing and reopening things from that standpoint.”
Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, said he didn’t see Bell’s as a negative against just the governor.
“I came away with the conclusion that it was much of an indictment against DHEC as it was the governor’s office,” Massey said. “The public is relying on DHEC to be our or public health experts. If there are things the public needs to hear about a public health crisis, we expect DHEC to tell us that.”
Massey said it’s best for DHEC and the governor’s office to be on the same page as much as possible.
“Even if they have some disagreements, that’s fine. If they have some disagreements you would think they could both present those at a joint press event, and the press could ask questions, and both be presented to the public and the public could make a decision,” Massey said. “That’s what you would hope would happen.”
