In a new editorial out Wednesday, the Capitol Broadcasting Company sharply criticized Donald Trump’s mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic and accused him of abandoning states without the resources they need to combat the spread of the virus.

As cases spike across the country, the editorial board called the situation resulting from Trump’s failed leadership an “untenable state of affairs.” The authors called for an increase in federal funding to boost capacity for testing and contact tracing — funding the Trump administration is currently blocking.

This week, North Carolina surpassed 100,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases while hospitalizations due the virus continue to hover near record highs.

Highlights: 

• When states turn to President Donald Trump for leadership and coordination – particularly amid challenges in testing and tracing the spread of the COVID-19 virus – they are ignored, rejected and opposed.
• The result has left states competing for scarce resources and unable to accomplish the primary objectives that the president’s own White House Coronavirus Task Force says are critical to limiting the spread and bringing the pandemic under control. It is an unwise and untenable state of affairs.
• Being able to do more testing, get results faster and do more tracing are critical to controlling the spread of COVID-19.
• While the president’s task force recommended GREATER testing and tracking, Trump and his political advisers are blocking billions of dollars to help states do more testing and contact tracing. Congress must fund and Trump needs to support expanded testing and tracing in the states.
• North Carolina’s voices in the Senate – Richard Burr and Thom Tillis – have been all too quiet at a critical time when action is needed. Voters need to know where their representatives stand.