Biden assures governors he’ll help states stem cases
WILMINGTON, Del. — Joe Biden expressed concern Thursday that President Trump’s unprecedented attempt to block the peaceful transition of power at the White House has hindered the flow of information about programs to fasttrack a coronavirus vaccine.
“Unfortunately, my administration hasn’t been able to get everything we need,” the presidentelect said during a video conference with the National Governors Association’s leadership team, which includes five Republicans and four Democrats.
He specifically cited Operation Warp Speed, the federal government’s partnership with private pharmaceutical companies to develop a COVID19 vaccine.
“We haven’t been able to get into Operation Warp Speed but we will take what we learned today and build it into our plan,” Biden said after the meeting, which included Republicans Larry Hogan of Maryland, Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Kay Ivey of Alabama, Charlie Baker of Massachusetts and Gary Herbert of Utah.
Biden participated from a theater in Wilmington, Del., with Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris. Also appearing online were the leaders of Biden’s virus task force: Vivek Murthy, a former surgeon general; David Kessler, an exhead of the Food and Drug Administration; and Marcella NunezSmith of Yale University.
Among the Democrats on the videoconference was Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, which has been among the states Trump has targeted for unfounded claims of fraud.
“All the governors, no matter their political party, no matter their political philosophy, shared a strong and abiding sense of common purpose,” Biden said. “There’s a real desire for real partnership between the states and the federal government.”
The presidentelect promised state leaders he would “make sure you get the resources you need … to beat this virus” and said he would hold similar meetings with governors frequently going forward.
Biden noted afterward that 10 governors had imposed statewide mask mandates to slow the spread of the coronavirus, calling it not a partisan issue but a “patriotic duty.”
Ivey told participants that both parties in Congress need to come together to provide more coronavirus response funding, especially for families struggling economically because of the pandemic, according to a readout provided by her office.
After the videoconference, Biden told reporters that there will be “no national shutdown” when he’s in office because “every region, every area, every community can be different” and a blanket lockdown would be “counterproductive.”
Biden has faced questions about whether he’d pursue a nationwide shutdown to try to rein in the virus after one of the members of his coronavirus task force floated the possibility in an interview. But he and other members of the task force have said the proposal is not on the table.