Schumer, other senators to ask Trump to issue national emergency declaration for coronavirus

[Mrs. Overall]

Source: CNN

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other senators are preparing a letter that will ask President Donald Trump to issue an emergency declaration for the coronavirus pandemic.

An aide for Schumer told CNN Wednesday that the minority leader, along with Democratic Sens. Patty Murray of Washington and Gary Peters of Michigan, will call for the formal declaration, which would allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency to use more than $40 billion from the Disaster Relief Fund to assist local state government in their response to the coronavirus.

FEMA is providing support to state partners, providing them supplies such as gloves, hand sanitizers and masks, and working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Last week, Trump signed a $8.3 billion response package to help combat the virus. The agreement provides $7.8 billion in appropriations to address the outbreak of coronavirus as well as an authorization for $500 million in mandatory spending to fund a telehealth program in an effort to expand access to health services for seniors.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/11/politics/schumer-coronavirus-emergency-declaration/index.html

[Squinch]

1. Good move. If he says no, that will go down in history and be the

headline of his obituary.

[Texin]

2. Frankly, as much as we need this, I'm not at all comfortable with tRump declaring one.

And he can't, really at this point. He's all-in invested in denying that CV19 is nothing but a media-hyped *hoax*. His acolytes wouldn't know what hit them. The disconnect among his supporters would create such a noise as could be heard on Pluto. Let's not also forget that he's not about to do anything that would damage the god of his idolatry: the stock market.

[Eyeball_Kid]

6. The Dictator is always boxing himself into a corner. Why?

because he's obsessed with his "brand." He's anti-establishment, and he took Steve Bannon's "deconstruction of the administrative state" to heart. As any toddler will show you, it's way easier to tear something down than it is to build something up. Trump is the national toddler.

Trump has spent three years "deconstructing the administrative state." Now is when he gets his comeuppance, along with thousands who will die because of Trump's branding.

[Miguelito Loveless]

3. The only problem is that in so doing

we would be handing Trump a powerful weapon to cancel elections.

[Thomas Hurt]

4. Exactly, Trump is betting that the Democrats are using an overabundance of caution...

that will make them look bad come November and Trump like the genius he thinks he is.

People will have to die by the tens of thousands before the perception of the US citizenry will begin to pay attention.

[Eyeball_Kid]

7. It's a terrible risk to take. This isn't about manipulating opinion. It's about death and disease.

Trump will pay, but he'll never pay the full price. Even if he were to contract the virus and die, he'd be let off easy.

[Thomas Hurt]

8. It is exactly about opinion so Trump can keep his amoral @## in the WH.

The GOP and Trump do not care how many people die in the end. They are betting it will no worse than a regular flu season.

Public opinion will not change until some flash point has been reached.

[Miguelito Loveless]

10. Once he has "emergency powers"

He is not going to leave office just because he lost the election. Better yet, no election, then nothing to "lose", and he has the power to suppress dissent.

[Lonestarblue]

9. Yes, that was my first thought.

We are not in a pandemic, and most states are trying to head off one, as Austin mayor did in cancelling SWXS. This just gives Trump an opportunity to move all federal dollars anywhere he wants them. Build the wall faster, stop the virus. Give money to the red states, not the blue ones. This is a terrible idea!

[riversedge]

12. WHO declared a pandemic a bit ago........

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/03/11/coronavirus-live-updates-washington-ban-michigan-cases-us-death/5011587002/

[KatyMan]

13. He can't cancel elections

They're run by each individual state, per the constitution.

[Miguelito Loveless]

14. Since when does Trump obey the law?

He has the military at his disposal and can federalize the various state guards.

He can simply say that holding the election will cause a danger to the country, and order soldiers to enforce his orders.

Trump is NOT giving up power.

[Cognitive_Resonance]

5. Needs to happen. Event organizers using excuse of no declaration to defer cancellation decisions. nt

[riversedge]

11. I fear the powers that Trump may get if Nat Emerg. declared. You know he will exceed

any powers granted.d