Fauci draws backlash for admitting CDC must make 'judgment call' on whether vaccinated people can travel

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White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci drew backlash on Wednesday for admitting that the Biden administration has to make a "judgment call" when it comes to COVID travel guidance. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced new health guidelines for vaccinated people Monday, but made no mention of travel. 

The guidelines, which were supposed to be released last week, originally included recommendations about traveling but senior health officials decided to remove that section, according to Politico.

During an appearance on CNN, Fauci was pressed about what "science" is preventing the Biden administration from declaring that Americans with both doses of the COVID vaccine can travel safely. 

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"From the Biden administration, they say that they will make its decisions based on science," CNN anchor John Berman asked. "What's the science behind not saying it's safe for people who have been vaccinated, received two doses, to travel?"

"You know, that's a very good question, John," Fauci responded. "And the CDC is carefully heading in that direction ... They're being careful, understandably. They want to get science, they want to get data, and then when you don’t have the data and you don’t have the actual evidence, you’ve got to make a judgment call. And I think that's what you're going to be seeing in the next weeks."

Fauci later insisted that guidance on travel and other activities will "imminently be coming out."

"Fire Fauci," Ben Shapiro exclaimed on Twitter "All he has done for weeks is undermine the incentive structure for getting vaccinated -- the measure that spells the end of the pandemic."

"Fauci's house of cards is crashing," Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., tweeted.

"This kind of attitude actually hurts the fight against vaccine hesitancy...." NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck reacted.

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"The Infallible Fauci is a fraud and should be ignored at this point. Go live your lives instead of praying at the alter of overpaid government stooges who are drunk on power they never intend to give away," the "Rubin Report" host Dave Rubin wrote.

"The guy is a fraud. Maybe he wasn't when it started, but he is now," National Review senior writer David Harsanyi similarly expressed. 

Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report.