Trump invokes wartime powers in fight
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was invoking a 1950 law known as the Defense Production Act to speed the production of masks, ventilators and other equipment vital to helping doctors treat coronavirus patients.
He also said the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development would suspend foreclosures and evictions as families grapple with income losses stemming from shutdowns of workplaces such as department stores, restaurants and bars.
Trump told reporters at a White House news conference he planned to sign the Korean War-era Defense Production Act to allow him to address a shortage of medical supplies by directing private companies to expedite the production of medical equipment.
“There’s never been an instance like this where no matter what you have it’s not enough,” he said. “If we need to use it, we will be using it at full speed ahead.”
The announcement came as the administration scrambles to negotiate a roughly trillion dollar deal with Congress to provide cash relief for Americans and possible bailouts for major industries affected by the outbreak.
Health care workers across the country have expressed concern about hospital shortages of protective equipment including masks and gloves that are critical to the doctors and nurses who are on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as ventilators to help treat the influx of patients who have tested positive for the virus.
“The Defense Production Act permits the president to push national security items to the front of the line,” said Loren Thompson, a defense industry consultant and military expert at the Lexington Institute. “It exists to speed up urgently needed items.”
The president also announced that HUD would provide “immediate relief to renters and homeowners by suspending all foreclosures and evictions” through the end of April.
The suspension applies only to homeowners with mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration, a HUD agency that offers affordable loans to homeowners through private firms. HUD Secretary Ben Carson said the move will provide homeowners with “some peace of mind during these trying times.”
The White House also took action on those entering the U.S. In a joint decision with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the two countries are shuttering nonessential travel between the two countries to help limit contact with those who may be sick. Trump said trade would not be affected by the move.
Trump said the U.S. would not close the border with Mexico, but would invoke a provision giving the U.S. ‘great lattitude.’
Trump also said he plans to invoke a provision that would allow him to prohibit certain people from entering the country, including asylum seekers and those entering the country illegally at the southern border.
When asked again whether he was closing the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump said, “No we’re not going to close it.”
“But we’re invoking a certain provision that will allow us great latitude,” he added.
On Wednesday, the Senate approved a multibillion-dollar emergency aid package that provides paid sick and family leave for many Americans, bolsters unemployment insurance and provides free coronavirus testing.
Despite Washington’s promise of economic aid, U.S. stocks fell sharply Wednesday. The Dow Jones industrial average fell almost 8%, and Standard & Poor’s 500 also sank. The U.S. death toll hit 115 with over 7,300 confirmed cases across the country as of Wednesday afternoon, according to a Johns Hopkins University coronavirus data dashboard.