Defense Production Act being engaged for medical equipment production.
White House adviser Peter Navarro thanked the president for engaging the Defense Production Act that will enable them to acquire much more in the way of medical supplies.
President Trump said he has employed the Defense Production Act to force General Motors and Ford Motor Co. to make ventilators. “Over 100,000 more than we have are needed. So we’ve engaged them and others to get onto this immediately because this is an urgent matter.”
He spoke to the CEO of Boeing, and they will be making face shields for those on the front lines of medicine. They will be doing thousands a week. They’ve tested production and are ready to go. They are also offering the DreamLiner cargo plane-the biggest in the world- for the distribution of product. They will dedicate up to three planes for delivering medical supplies wherever we needed.
He said he signed an executive order that will enable the military to activate their reserve and retirees who are medical people.
He reminded everyone that he had signed into law the $2.2 trillion, that can expand to $6.2 trillion depending on need. It is an incredible bill, very large, and was done very, very quickly. He thanked the members of Congress for the largest bill in the history of our Congress.
He mentioned that Apple has come up with an app for diagnosis help. The president also thanked many other businesses who have sacrificed greatly on behalf of the American people. Their heroic actions are saving lives, he said, and he is very proud of them.
The administration is now testing 100,000 patients a day; more than any other country in the world. The capacity continues to grow. The spread of the virus is being accurately determined. Each location in the country is different, and data from these various regions will help the government target need.
“No effort will be spared in winning this war with as few lives as possible being lost.” The rest of the world is going through hell, he said, and we are dealing with many of these countries directly and very closely. He mentioned the number of countries all calling for ventilators. We will take care of our needs, but we also want to help other countries. We are in a position to do things that other countries can’t.
“Just 22 days ago we had the greatest economy in the world. Everything was going beautifully. The stock market was high. The world looked good. And we got hit by the invisible enemy. … We will win this, and will have apparatus in place so we won’t have broken systems in case this sort of thing happens again.”
In discussing the problem with GM earlier in the day, and quarantines of travelers leaving one U.S. state and going to another, he said, “We aren’t playing games” with the health of Americans.
He mentioned his conversation yesterday with the president of China. “It’s a different kind of world,” he said. He said he reviewed the history of the virus, the effective procedures, and so on. The president sought out the theories of President Xi, and they are beginning to share some data. The relationship is good. This virus has taken over the world. Nobody wants to talk trade, or buying from the farmers, or other things, but the virus has been our focus. China is also working on a vaccine, but have no results yet, of course. The two leaders did not discuss tariffs.
He discussed assistance to the airlines. The president said he is bringing in great financial minds from Wall Street who want to work with the administration on allocation and distribution of funds and mechanisms for repayment of loans or other things. We need to provide for airlines, it preserves our travel industry. Saving the airlines is very important. They were doing record business a month ago. Now everything needs to be rebuilt. I think we’ll have an incredible fourth quarter as soon as we get rid of this—an explosion upward, he said.
President Trump gave a quick message to children, reminding them that they, too, are citizens of this great country. They need to watch and learn, because we are dealing in a war against an unseen enemy. And they should be very proud of their country, because it is doing a fantastic job that will win this war.
Asked about his priorities, the president said it is “life, safety and then the economy.” He said, “We have to take care of people.”
Vice President Pence continued the task force briefing.
All 50 states have cases of the coronavirus, and more than half of those are in the New York State area.
Twelve major disaster declarations have been issued as of this evening. Today Emory University began enrolling people in a phase one clinical trial for a vaccine.
Testing is available in all 50 states.
This weekend we will be reporting on aggressive actions that FEMA is taking to import medical supplies from around the world, working even now on an airlift to bring in important medical equipment into the U.S.
He credited businesses large and small around the country who are getting engaged in helping with medical equipment. We will continue to focus resources and supplies on areas of the countries that have had significant outbreak.
The FEMA Administrator will be talking to all heads of health departments in the states in helping them with logistics and best ways to assure supplies are available.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos spoke of the disruptions students and teachers are having. “We must rise to the challenge of educating all our children who are all of a sudden in many different learning environments needing many different solutions.”
The Department of Education has been staying in contact with education leaders, governors and others in order to quickly respond to their needs. Most schools are closed. As a result, federally-mandated standardized tests will not be required this year. Information has been made clear that education must continue, including meaningful instruction for all children. Students in remote areas are being provided for with creative means. It is not an option to NOT educate these students.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue also reported on public-private partnerships in providing meals, especially for children who have relied on meals at school. The CEO of Panera Bread was also present at the briefing.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the task force that will continue meeting over the weekend on providing care and lifelines for so many individuals and businesses.
- For President Trump and members of his Cabinet who have worked often behind the scenes on activities to give aid and relief to Americans across the country.
- For Americans to continue to follow the national guidelines for social distancing, hand-washing, avoiding travel, and the others.
Sources: Fox News
