White House coronavirus task force holds Saturday briefing
WASHINGTON (AP/NEXSTAR) — The White House coronavirus task force held a briefing at Saturday, to provide the latest on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Governors, mayors, businesses, charities and citizens are all working with urgency and speed toward one common goal, which is saving American lives,” President Donald Trump said during the beginning of Saturday’s briefing.
Trump reiterated the importance of Americans to come together to help fight the spread of the virus.
Trump also announced he had used the Stafford Act to declare a major disaster declaration for the state of New York.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says New York is scouring the globe for desperately needed medical supplies and scouting field hospital locations in New York City and its suburbs as confirmed coronavirus cases soar above 10,000 statewide.
The president also said he had been talking to small business owners and he intends to pass legislation to help companies affected by the spread of the coronavirus.
During Friday’s briefing, President Donald Trump said he has invoked the Defense Production Act to get needed medical supplies on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak, mobilizing the federal government to marshal the private sector to combat the pandemic.
Trump had said earlier in the week he would tap the act as needed. He said Friday he has put that “in gear.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he implored Trump during a phone call Friday to invoke the Korean War-era act immediately to order the manufacture of ventilators and other critically needed medical gear. The president told Schumer he would, then could be heard on the telephone making the order. He yelled to someone in his office to do it now, said Schumer’s spokesman, Justin Goodman.
Trump also announced an effective closure of the U.S. border with Mexico, prohibiting most travel except for trade. That brings it in line with the restriction on the Canadian border earlier this week.
The president and the Cabinet officials who briefed reporters focused on the border as they moved to restrict the entry of people without documentation to the U.S. This follows a stepped-up State Department travel advisory telling Americans they should not leave the country.
Officials again urged Americans to maintain social distancing while Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, applauded strict new measures put in place by the governors of California and New York to limit mobility in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.
The president, addressing reporters at the White House, announced a suspension of interest on federally owned student loans and said the Education Department will not enforce standardized testing requirements for students in elementary through high school for the current year. Under federal education law, states are required to administer standardized tests every school year.
“Americans from every walk of life are coming together,” Trump said. “We are winning and we are going to win this war.”
The new measures comes as the administration comes under increased scrutiny for its inability to provide the needed masks and ventilators to hospitals on the verge of being overwhelmed by coronavirus patients.
On Capitol Hill, lawmakers have been working urgently toward a $1 trillion aid package to prop up households and the U.S. economy that would put money directly into American’s pockets.
It was also announced Friday that the deadline to file taxes has been extended to July 15.
The Associated Press contributed to this report