Trump, lawmakers reach deal on coronavirus economic relief package, Pelosi announces
Refresh here for updates on the response by Trump and lawmakers to the coronavirus pandemic
WASHINGTON – Democratic congressional leaders and the Trump administration have reached a deal on a sweeping federal response to the intensifying coronavirus crisis that includes sick leave for affected workers and increased funding to cover the cost of testing for all Americans including the uninsured.
The agreement was announced Friday afternoon by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who has spent days negotiating with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.
Trump and lawmakers have been under pressure to ease fears over the spread of the deadly coronavirus, which has halted many parts of public life, forced the closure of schools and sent markets into a nosedive.
President Trump, who declared a national emergency earlier Friday, is expected to sign off on the deal shortly. And a vote in the House on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act could come within hours.
The legislation would:
Trump: I ‘’most likely” will be tested for coronavirus
President Donald Trump said Friday that he would most likely be tested for coronavirus, though he said he had no symptoms of infection and offered no timeline for being tested.
Speaking at a Rose Garden news conference, Trump was pressed about his interactions with officials who have tested positive, including an official from Brazil who met with Trump recently at his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago. At one point a reporter asked if Trump was being “selfish” for not taking a test and self-isolating himself. “I think I’ll do it anyway,” Trump responded. “We’re working on a schedule.”
– John Fritze
Help for cruise companies and airlines?
President Trump said Friday he has waived all interest on federal student loans. He said the suspension would be in effect “until further notice.” Such a move could provide financial aid to workers experiencing reduced hours or layoffs.
Trump also said that with oil historically inexpensive after a recent plunge in prices, he has ordered the Energy Department to buy “large quantities of crude oil” for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Such a move can help support prices for the beleaguered oil industry and ensure the nation has sufficient reserve stockpiles in the event of an international crisis. The strategic reserve has about 645 million barrels of oil.
Benchmark U.S. crude prices have fallen more than 30% the past 10 days on shrinking global demand.
And Trump suggested the government could provide financial assistance to the ailing cruise line industry.
“It’s an industry that’s very badly impacted because of what’s going on with the virus,” he said, adding that the administration would probably help the cruise industry and the airlines if they ask.
– John Fritze
Trump: 'I don't take responsibility at all' for testing shortages
When asked if he is responsible for the delay in availability of coronavirus tests, President Donald Trump said: "I don't take any responsibility at all."
"We were given a set of circumstances, given rules, regulations, and specifications from a different time. It wasn't meant for this kind of an event, with the kind of numbers that we are talking about," Trump said.
"What we've done is redesign it very quickly," he added.
The president has repeatedly blamed the Obama administration for a rule that limited third-party laboratories from developing and running tests, but the rule was actually put in place under the Trump administration, according to an Associated Press fact check this month.
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The Trump administration reversed one of its own Food and Drug Administration policies that previously only authorized tests made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new regulation allows labs to develop coronavirus tests before the FDA reviews them.
Draft FDA guidance considered during the Obama administration called for tighter regulation of lab tests, but that guidance, which didn't pertain to public health emergencies, never went into effect, according to the Associated Press.
– Courtney Subramanian and John Fritze
No deal on economic relief package
President Donald Trump said Friday there is no deal yet on an emergency package to respond to the economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic and accused Democrats of reneging on negotiations.
“We just don’t think they’re giving enough,” he said, but did not give specifics. “We thought we had something. All of a sudden, they didn’t agree to certain things they agreed to. … They’re not doing what’s right for the country.”
Trump’s remarks in the Rose Garden came about an hour after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, announced the House would move forward with a vote Friday on a sweeping package to confront the coronavirus.
The bill would include free testing for all Americans, including those uninsured, as well as two weeks of paid sick leave for those who have to skip work due to the virus. It would also included expanded food assistance, such as seniors’ meals, student lunches and food banks.
National emergency:What does Trump's emergency declaration for coronavirus mean?
Pelosi has spoken numerous times with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin in an effort to reach a deal. One of the sticking points has been on the paid sick leave provisions.
Drew Hamill, Pelosi's spokesman, tweeted that the House speaker and Mnuchin had their latest conversation during the news conference.
– Ledyard King
Stocks welcome Trump's emergency declaration
Stocks recovered Friday following a brutal week of selling after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency to free up about $50 billion in federal aid to fight the fast-spreading coronavirus. The Dow Jones industrial average finished the day up 1,985 points, or 9.4%, a day after plunging 2,352 points, for its worst loss since its nearly 23% drop on Oct. 19, 1987.
Stocks soars after wild week: In rebound, Dow up 1,900 points as Trump frees up aid to fight coronavirus
Response to Trump Oval Office address: Airport chaos, anxious lawmakers, market plunge
– David Brinkerhoff
Trump shakes hands with executives
President Donald Trump shook hands with an array of company executive who were invited to join him at his Rose Garden news conference to discuss the coronavirus response – despite repeated advice from his own public health experts against such contact.
Only one company official, Bruce Greenstein of the home healthcare provider LHC Group, moved his hand away from Trump’s outstretched hand and offered an elbow instead.
“I like that. That's good," Trump said a bit awkwardly after elbow-bumping Greenstein.
'I’m not concerned at all': Trump says he's not worried as coronavirus arrives in DC area
Trump himself may have been exposed to the virus; he had contact with Fabio Wajngarten, the communications secretary for Brazil's president, who has tested positive for coronavirus.
Wajngarten was in Florida last weekend at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, and he posted a photo of himself standing next to the American leader.
Trump has said publicly that he's "not concerned" about the potential exposure, and the White House has said there's no reason for him to be tested.
"I don't have any of the symptoms," Trump said.
– Deirdre Shesgreen
Azar given broad authority to waive hospital regulations
President Donald Trump said the emergency declaration would give broad authority for Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to waive provisions of laws and regulations to give doctors and hospital "maximum flexibility to respond to the virus."
Under the declaration, Azar can:
Waive laws to enable telehealth services
Allow remote doctor visits and hospital check-ins
Waive certain federal licensing requirements so doctors from other states can provide services
Waive requirements limiting hospitals to 25 beds or a stay of 96 hours
Allowing hospitals to bring additional physicians on board and obtain additional office space
Waive rules that restrict hospital care of patients within the hospital itself
-- Courtney Subramanian
Trump: 'This will pass'
President Donald Trump, whose administration has been criticized heavily over a shortage of tests for coronavirus, promised to increase the number of tests but said administering them to everyone was not necessary.
"Our overriding goal is to stop the spread of the virus and to help all Americans who have been impacted by this," Trump said. "Again, we don't want everybody taking this test. It's totally unnecessary. And this will pass. This will pass through and we're going to be stronger for it."
– Courtney Subramanian
Trump’s emergency declaration will come with more than just money
The most significant element of President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration will be federal disaster aid. Trump said up to $50 billion would be made available. Democrats and the Federal Emergency Management Agency had earlier estimated the number to be closer to $40 billion.
But it’s not just money. Trump said his order would waive several key regulations. Among them:
The order would waive rules so that telehealth can be more easily accessed, providing care in ways that will not require patients to come into a doctor’s office.
The order would waive rules limiting the number of beds and length of stays in hospitals.
The the order would waive rules about which parts of a hospital can treat patients, a move designed to deal with capacity and space if a large number of patients show up seeking care.
– John Fritze
Trump announces drive-through testing
President Donald Trump announced plans to partner with pharmaceutical and retail companies to set up drive-through test sites for coronavirus in an effort to catch up to a nationwide demand and deliver on the administration's promise for wider access to testing.
He met with company executives Friday to discuss expanding access to testing through drive-through testing.
"The goal is for individuals to drive up and be swabbed without having to leave your car," he said in a Rose Garden news conference.
By allowing people to remain in their car, health officials say it limits the chance for exposure. Trump said the administration is working with Google to create a web portal to direct people to those locations.
The administration has faced mounting pressure from lawmakers to increase testing access as the coronavirus pandemic continues to intensify, prompting travel restrictions, school closures, suspension of professional sports leagues and market turmoil. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, admitted to lawmakers on Capitol Hill Wednesday that limited access to testing was "a failing."
New Rochelle, a New York City suburb, became the first on the East Coast to open a drive-through testing facility Friday after it was designated a coronavirus containment zone following a recent outbreak.
– Courtney Subramanian
Trump announces emergency declaration
President Donald Trump declared a national emergency Friday to free up billions of dollars to combat the coronavirus as he sought to persuade anxious Americans and battered financial markets that he was responding forcefully to the crisis.
"I am officially declaring a national emergency. Two very big words," Trump told reporters in the Rose Garden. As the outbreak has shuttered schools, sporting events and even Broadway, Trump has come under intense criticism for his handling of the pandemic, including an Oval Office address he delivered Wednesday that was marred by factual errors. Medical experts say there’s an acute shortage of coronavirus testing kits, the number of infections has soared and Wall Street suffered its worst day Thursday since the financial crash of 1987.
”The action I’m taking will open access up to $50 billion for states in our shared fight against his disease,” Trump said, adding that he was ordering every state to open emergency operation centers.
"This will pass," Trump said of the outbreak. "We’ll be even stronger for it We’ve learned a lot.”
The emergency declaration comes as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has been negotiating with Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill on legislation to stem the economic fallout from the coronavirus. About an hour before the president delivered his remarks, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the House would move forward with a vote Friday on a sweeping package to confront the coronavirus.
The bill would include free testing for all Americans, including those uninsured, as well as two weeks of paid sick leave who have to skip work due to the virus. It would also include expanded food assistance, such as seniors’ meals, student lunches and food banks.
– John Fritze, Ledyard King and Nicholas Wu
Pelosi: House to vote on relief package
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House would move forward with a vote Friday on a sweeping package to confront the coronavirus.
The bill would include free virus testing for all Americans, including the uninsured, as well as two weeks of paid sick leave for those who have to skip work due to the virus. It would also included expanded federal food assistance, such as seniors’ meals, student lunches and food banks.
"The three most important parts of this bill are: testing, testing, testing,” she said in her televised remarks at the U.S. Capitol.
Pelosi has been in constant communication with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who is leading negotiations for the Trump administration.
Her remarks came amid reports that President Donald Trump is expected to declare a national emergency Friday over the coronavirus outbreak, a move that would enable federal officials to direct billions of dollars in federal disaster money to responders fighting the virus.
The pandemic has killed dozens in the U.S., canceled major sporting events, limited commercial travel, roiled stock markets and transformed everyday life around the globe.
– Ledyard King and Nicholas Wu
Trump to declare national emergency
President Donald Trump is expected to declare a national emergency Friday over the coronavirus outbreak, a move that would enable federal officials to direct billions of dollars in disaster money to responders fighting the virus, according to a senior administration official.
The declaration would be among a series of steps the administration is taking to try to boost the confidence of the American public and the financial markets in its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump, who is scheduled to hold a news conference at 3 p.m. EDT, has been heavily criticized for the administration's response, including problems rolling out test kits for the virus and an Oval Office speech he delivered Wednesday that exacerbated huge losses on Wall Street. Investors were shaken by misstatements in the speech and what many saw as the lack of a broader strategy to address the crisis.
At the 3 p.m. news conference, Trump is also expected to weigh in on a relief package negotiated between Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that would provide paid sick leave to workers, among other steps to blunt the impact on the economy of virus-related disruptions.
The national emergency is expected to be declared under the 1988 Stafford Act, which authorizes federal assistance to local governments, usually for natural disasters. The Stafford Act is one several laws in a president's extensive emergency powers toolkit. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared a public health emergency over the virus in late January. That step made it easier for states to redirect staff responding to the virus.
The nation's Disaster Relief Fund has a balance of about $42 billion, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Debt relief, airline help under consideration, Mnuchin says
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said debt relief for student loans and help for the hard-hit airline industry are under consideration for the next coronavirus rescue package. Speaking to CNBC as a deal was imminent on a separate, near-term package that includes paid emergency leave, Mnuchin said President Donald Trump has no intention of closing financial markets.
Mnuchin also said:
Congress and the administration have "100 things on our list” for the next possible package, and added “The president wants a stimulus package."
Financial authorities are ready to provide liquidity to parts of the economy taking a hit from shutdowns.
A “big rebound” in economic activity could come by the end of the year, drawing a contrast with the Great Recession that began after the 2008 market meltdown.
"This is not like financial crisis where people don't know when this will end. ... By the end of the year, we're going to expect we're going to have a big rebound in economic activity," he said.
Asked about suspending student debt of three months, Mnuchin said: "That's on our list of 50 different items we're bringing to the president for a decision." He added: “We're like in the second inning of getting things done. We'll be passing more legislation."
He’s spoken to the airlines: "That is the next priority on my list," Mnuchin said while also mentioning hotels, the cruise industry and small businesses.
Tariff rollbacks are not under consideration by Trump.
Louisiana will delay presidential primary
Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin announced Friday he has requested to delay the state's presidential primary for two months due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
The presidential primary was slated for April 4, but will be moved to June 20.
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Ardoin, during a press conference, said there are provisions in place that allow for the delay of primaries and early voting in “declared states of emergency" as a way to "protect the integrity of the electoral process”
“Today I have certified that the state of emergency exists and requested that the government issue an executive order postponing the elections this spring,” he said.
According to the Monroe, La., News Star, Gov. John Bel Edwards will grant the delay.
Louisiana is the only state that has announced it will delay its primaries due to coronavirus.
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign released a statement in response to Louisiana’s primary delay, saying that “our elections can be conducted safely in consultation with public health officials.”
“Voting is at the very heart of who we are as a democracy,” Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said in a statement. “If voters are feeling healthy, not exhibiting symptoms, and don’t believe they've been exposed to COVID-19, please vote on Tuesday.”
– Rebecca Morin
G-7 leaders will hold virtual summit to discuss coronavirus
President Donald Trump and six other world leaders will hold a virtual summit Monday to coordinate a global response to the coronavirus, French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday.
The videoconference of G-7 leaders will focus on research efforts to find a vaccine, as well as an economic response to the crisis, which has rocked global markets and sparked fears of a recession.
Following a call with Trump, “we agreed to organize an extraordinary Leaders Summit by video conference on Monday on Covid-19,” Macron announced on Twitter.
– Deirdre Shesgreen
Trump to hold press conference on coronavirus
President Donald Trump will speak on the coronavirus on Friday, he announced on Twitter.
Trump said he would hold a press conference at 3 p.m. EDT. It comes as the White House is negotiating with House Democrats on a bill intended to limit the economic impact of the virus, and as the administration is scrambling to increase the number of coronavirus tests available to the public.
Trump has significantly ramped up the number of times he has taken questions in a press conference setting since the coronavirus spread to the U.S. He has twice appeared in the briefing room to take questions on his administration’s response. He appeared in the briefing room again earlier this week but did not take questions.
The president otherwise has a relatively light public schedule, though the White House official schedule rarely reflects the totality of the president’s activities. Other than the press conference, Trump is expected to meet with “industry executives” on the virus at 1:30 p.m. EDT.
– John Fritze
Mnuchin: coronavirus response deal ‘very close’
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin sounded a positive note Friday morning, saying a deal on a coronavirus response package with Congress was imminent.
“We’re very close to getting this done,” he told CNBC.
Mnuchin has been the lead negotiator for the White House on the deal, speaking frequently with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., over the past 24 hours.
Pelosi said the deal, which is expected to provide free coronavirus testing, paid emergency leave and increased unemployment coverage, is expected to come to the House floor for a vote Friday.
Despite Mnuchin’s optimism about a sweeping deal, he also echoed health officials’ warnings of a worsening situation.
“People should understand the numbers (of infections) are going to go up before they go down,” he said
Mnuchin said after this deal is reached, he expects the administration will come back to Congress in the coming weeks for a package of economic stimulus measures (Trump has been pushing for a payroll tax cut) which he predicted would lift the country.
“We will get through this and the economy will be stronger than ever when we get through this,” he said. “By the end of the year, we’re going to have a big rebound in economic activity.”
– Ledyard King
Trump knocks fed, repeats call for payroll tax cuts
President Donald Trump lashed out at Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell to lower rates after repeating his call for Congress to include a payroll tax cut in a sweeping, multibillion-dollar package in response to the growing coronavirus pandemic.
"The Federal Reserve must FINALLY lower the Fed Rate to something comparable to their competitor Central Banks." Trump wrote Friday. "Jay Powell and group are putting us at a decided economic & physiological disadvantage. Should never have been this way. Also, STIMULATE!"
Trump also renewed calls for a payroll tax cut holiday on Friday as House Democrats and administration officials signaled they were close to reaching a deal.
"If you want to get money into the hands of people quickly & efficiently, let them have the full money that they earned, APPROVE A PAYROLL TAX CUT until the end of the year, December 31," Trump tweeted. "Then you are doing something that is really meaningful. Only that will make a big difference!"
Democrats dismissed the proposal of payroll tax cuts, which are taken from workers' paychecks to fund Social Security and Medicare. The president has particularly failed to shore up support among Senate Republicans.
He first pitched the idea to Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill Monday and again proposed it during an Oval Office address to the nation Wednesday
– Courtney Subramanian
House may vote on coronavirus response Friday
The House appears close to approving a massive federal response to confront the intensifying coronavirus pandemic that has killed dozens across the U.S., roiled financial markets and disrupted the lives of millions of Americans.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi late Thursday said congressional leaders and the White House were close to finalizing a deal on a sweeping, multibillion-dollar package that would guarantee free testing for all Americans – including the uninsured – and expand worker protections such as sick leave and unemployment insurance.
Final details of the sweeping package could be unveiled by late Friday morning, with a vote by the full House possibly later in the day, Pelosi said.
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“Time is of the essence, and this bill must be passed and sent to the Senate,” she said in a statement issued late Thursday. “The House will then get to work on a third emergency response package that will take further effective action that protects the health, economic security and well-being of the American people.”
According to a press release from Pelosi, the measure would:
Mandate free testing “for everyone who needs a test, including the uninsured."
Set aside up to 14 days of paid sick leave and up to three months of paid family and medical leave for workers affected by the coronavirus contamination.
Expand unemployment benefits to workers sent home due to the crisis.
Ensure availability of food assistance such as SNAP, student meals, seniors’ nutrition and food banks. Democrats were able to place a temporary hold on work requirements under SNAP during the public health crisis.
Provide federal Medicaid funds to help states defray costs associated with the crisis.
Even if it passes Friday and gets taken up by the Senate early next week, enacting all the measures will take time.
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The tremendous shortage of fully complete test kits, for example, means access remains a major hurdle even if the cost of the procedure is covered by private insurers or the government.
Still, the deal would represent a major breakthrough and a shot of confidence intended to calm rattled markets and anxious Americans.
Pelosi, who had several conversations throughout Thursday with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, told reporters outside her office Thursday night that both sides have “resolved most of our differences” and the remaining issues can be settled in future bills.
Pelosi said she was particularly stunned by the sudden cratering of the financial markets, which have nosedived in recent weeks and deepened worries about a possible recession due to the rapidly spreading virus.
The Standard & Poor's 500 entered a bear market for the first time since the financial crisis, and the Dow endured its biggest one-day percentage drop since the 1987 crash.
“That was very shocking,” Pelosi said of the markets. “I'm not going to go into that because what we're trying to do is be a positive."
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The aggressive approach comes a day after Trump announced a suspension of all air travel from the European Union to the U.S. for 30 days, starting midnight Friday.
The bill is being considered a week after Congress passed an $8.3 billion package that includes more than $3 billion for research and the development of vaccines and $2.2 billion that will help in prevention, preparedness and response. It also allocates $1 billion for state and local response, about half of which would go to specific cities. Each state would receive no less than $4 million.
Trump signed the bill last Friday.
Ted Cruz extends his self-quarantine
Phoning into "CBS This Morning" from a self-imposed quarantine, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he would extend his self-quarantine after learning he came into contact with another individual who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Cruz, who self-quarantined earlier this month after interacting with a person at the Conservative Political Action Conference who later tested positive, told CBS he would self-quarantine until March 17. The Texas Republican said he had "no symptoms" but had interacted with a "second individual who has tested positive – a Spanish government official who came to my office in D.C."
"On March 3 I had a meeting in the conference room with him for about 20 minutes," Cruz said, noting he had not been tested for the virus because he had no symptoms.
Cruz and two other Republican lawmakers quarantined themselves after coming into contact with an infected individual at CPAC in National Harbor, Maryland. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz, Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., have also self-quarantined.
– Nicholas Wu
Trump attacks CDC amid coronavirus
Facing pressure for his own administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump is increasingly slamming the efforts under his predecessor to prepare for an outbreak – often with dubious claims.
Trump started his latest attack on President Barack Obama with a tweet late Thursday that repeated a narrative that has increasingly cropped among his supporters: That Obama “took 6 months” to declare a national emergency to respond to the 2009 Swine Flu outbreak.
The claim overlooks the fact that Obama, just like Trump, declared a public health emergency early in the swine flu outbreak. That designation from Obama came in April 2009, before the H1N1 virus was declared a pandemic and at a time when there were only 20 cases in the U.S.
For the coronavirus, the Trump administration declared a public health emergency in January.
A public health emergency is different – and less significant – than a national emergency. Obama declared a national emergency about six months into the swine flu outbreak. Trump has yet to declare a national emergency for coronavirus.
Trump continued the attack on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a tweet early Friday morning.
“For decades the @CDCgov looked at, and studied, its testing system, but did nothing about it,” Trump claimed. “President Obama made changes that only complicated things further.”
The Trump administration has been under enormous pressure, including from governors and members of his own party, to speed up the distribution of coronavirus tests. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, acknowledged Thursday that the testing system is “failing.”
But it’s not accurate that an Obama-era rule limited third-party laboratories from developing and running tests for the coronavirus during an emergency, according to an Associated Press fact check this month.
The Trump administration reversed a policy that its own Food and Drug Administration put in place, the Associated Press said. That new regulation allows labs to develop coronavirus tests before the agency reviews them. Previously, the FDA only authorized tests made by the CDC.
Draft FDA guidance considered during the Obama administration called for tighter regulation of laboratory tests but that guidance, which did not pertain to public health emergencies, never went into effect, the Associated Press said.
– John Fritze
Contributing: Christal Hayes
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: Trump, lawmakers reach deal on economic relief package
