Pence to lead US coronavirus team
Trump says country ‘very, very ready for this, for anything’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that the U.S. is “very, very ready” for whatever the coronavirus threat brings, and he put his vice president in charge of overseeing the nation’s response.
Trump sought to minimize fears of the virus spreading widely across the country, saying, “I don’t think it’s inevitable.”
But standing next to him at a White House news conference were health authorities who reiterated that Americans need to get ready for what could become a wider outbreak requiring such steps as school closures.
“Our aggressive containment strategy here in the United States has been working and is responsible for the low levels of cases we have so far. However, we do expect more cases,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More than 81,000 cases of COVID-19, an illness characterized by fever and coughing and sometimes shortness of breath or pneumonia, have occurred globally since the virus emerged in China.
The National Institutes of Health’s top infectious disease chief cautioned a vaccine won’t be ready for widespread use for a year or more — but said the virus might return, so researchers have to push ahead.
NIH’s Dr. Anthony Fauci called it “quite conceivable” that the virus will “come back and recycle next year. In that case, we hope to have a vaccine.”
Trump said Vice President Mike Pence will be working with CDC, NIH and other government agencies to coordinate the response. In previous outbreaks, the White House has appointed a “czar” to pull together the different departments’ work.
“We’re very, very ready for this, for anything,” even if it’s “a breakout of larger proportions,” Trump told a news conference.
The U.S. announced a 15th case of coronavirus Wednesday, bringing the total number of infected people in the country to 60. No details were released immediately on the newest case. But the higher count includes people who traveled back from outbreak areas in Asia: three who were evacuated from the central China city of Wuhan and 42 Americans who were evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan.
On Capitol Hill, senior lawmakers called for a bipartisan spending package that would give federal, state and local officials more resources. Trump had requested $2.5 billion to fight the virus; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., countered with an $8.5 billion proposal.
Trump told reporters he was open to spending “whatever’s appropriate.”
Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike have questioned whether Trump’s original request is sufficient.
House Appropriations chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., said it’s premature to put a price tag on the package. “We’re working on it and we’ll have a number but I’m not sure it’s going to be the number that Schumer’s proposing,” said Lowey, adding that she’s
working with lawmakers of both parties.
Aides said the House measure is likely to be unveiled next week. Bipartisan “four corner” meetings — Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate — began Wednesday, a House Democratic aide said, with a bipartisan bill the goal.
Schumer has been critical of Trump’s response to the outbreak, and his request — announced before the Democratic-controlled House Appropriations Committee has weighed in — rankled some Democrats hoping for quick, bipartisan action to address the crisis.
Arriving back in the U.S. early Wednesday, Trump immediately began to counter critics who say he should have acted sooner to bolster the federal response to the coronavirus.
Trump’s public efforts to project calm masked a behind-the-scenes focus.
During his 36-hour visit to India, Trump received briefings from staff and periodically checked the effect on Wall Street, tweeting at all hours to try to reassure Americans and the markets about the spread of the virus.
Trump expressed concern to aides about the effect on the markets, according to White House officials and Republicans close to the West Wing. He has tied his fortunes to Wall Street more closely than any of his recent predecessors and has made a strong economy his No. 1 argument for reelection.
Trump has been reluctant to blame China, where the virus originated, for fear of upsetting President Xi Jinping or damaging ongoing trade talks.
But he is also fearful he could be accused of being unresponsive to the crisis. At the urging of a number of his internal and outside advisers, he directed the White House to adopt a more public presence, leading to a briefing by officials and emails to the news media emphasizing the administration’s response.
Trump, who pilloried President Barack Obama over his response to the Ebola epidemic, now finds himself having to fend off criticism from Democratic presidential rivals who claim he has discounted science and has inadequate response plans.
Trump’s budgets have proposed cuts to public health, only to be overruled by Congress, where there’s strong bipartisan support for agencies like the CDC and NIH. Instead, financing has increased.