Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is seen during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss the on-going federal response to COVID-19, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., May 11, 2021.
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CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is testifying before Congress Wednesday on the agency's annual budget as the U.S. battles the Covid-19 pandemic, which has killed nearly 600,000 Americans.
Dr. Anne Schuchat, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's deputy director, is also testifying before the House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies subcommittee on Wednesday.
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The hearing comes a little over a week after Schuchat announced her retirement from the public health agency after 33 years. It also comes as the agency has taken criticism over its updated guidance on face masks for fully vaccinated Americans.
The CDC announced on May 13 that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a face mask or stay 6 feet away from others in most settings, whether outdoors or indoors. Unvaccinated people should still continue to wear masks, adding they remain at risk of mild or severe illness, death and risk of spreading the disease to others.
