Private Texts Reveal Top Biden Adviser Urged N95s Over Cloth Masks Amid Public CDC Push for Broad Mandates

In August 2021, Dr. Michael Osterholm, a member of President Biden’s COVID-19 transition advisory team and director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), sent a group text to Dr. Anthony Fauci, then-CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, and other officials warning that cloth masks offered “very limited protection.” He explicitly noted sending it via text “to avoid any FOIA issues” and urged promotion of N95 respirators instead, citing an American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists fact sheet and claiming CDC-supported studies on cloth masks “stand up to scientific scrutiny.”

The message, obtained by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) from HHS and reported by The Epoch Times, aligns with Osterholm’s repeated public statements throughout 2021. In CNN and Fox News interviews, he described cloth coverings as providing minimal aerosol protection—adding only minutes of safety versus hours with N95s—and advocated for higher-quality masks for the public as supplies improved. CIDRAP publications and podcasts echoed this, criticizing the lack of distinction between mask types and aerosol transmission realities.

This private stance contrasted with the Biden administration’s public messaging. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki dismissed Osterholm’s comments as those of a former adviser, while the CDC maintained recommendations for cloth masks in schools and communities, even as Delta surged. Fauci and Walensky publicly endorsed general masking without strong differentiation until later guidance updates. CDC’s current site now states cloth masks “generally offer lower levels of protection.”

Broader context includes earlier expert memos (e.g., a February 2021 CNN-reported letter from former Biden advisers including Osterholm pushing for N95 recommendations) and evolving science on aerosols, which Osterholm had highlighted since 2020. The episode underscores tensions between internal expert assessments and unified public health communications during mandates.

Corroborating public records show Osterholm consistently favored “effective masking” with respirators over cloth, while official guidelines emphasized accessibility and compliance.