President Donald J. Trump’s Timely Responses to COVID-19

President Trump has responded in a timely manner to COVID-19. Below are the actions that have been taken by this administration to protect the American people.

President Trump has acted decisively to slow the spread of coronavirus and minimize the economic fallout

Eight days after the first case of coronavirus in the U.S. (January 20), President Trump created a Coronavirus Task Force, quickly declared a public health emergency, and restricted travel from China, buying America precious time to prepare.

While Democrats exploited the crisis to get goodies like $75 million for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Vice President Mike Pence has won grudging respect from his critics for his outstanding performance as chairman of the coronavirus task force.

Beginning next week, the rapid tests will become available for free to individuals nationwide to aid patients in getting appropriate care. Crucially, this will also provide a means of tracking the spread of the infection and give us a more accurate picture of the transmission and course of the coronavirus.

Finally, Trump has clearly signaled that the national response to the virus will be increasingly strategic, and that he will not simply try to outbid Democrats in demanding an approach calculated to destroy the dreams and livelihoods of forgotten Americans.

A LIST OF SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ACTIONS TRUMP HAS TAKEN:

The White House Coordinates a National Response

Created a White House Coronavirus Task Force to coordinate a national response, then named Vice President Mike Pence to chair the effort
Declared a national emergency, thereby opening up nearly $50 billion in funding
Signed legislation securing $8.3 billion for coronavirus response
Signed legislation to support families and businesses impacted by the virus
Required reporting from state and private labs to give public health officials the data they need
Maintains frequent communication with state governors through teleconferences and other means to provide support and coordinate response
Approved major disaster declarations for states as needed
Recommended mitigation strategies for heavily impacted communities in New York, Washington, and California
Waived federal testing requirements to states that have had to close schools

His Travel Restrictions to “Flatten the Curve”

Restricted travel from China in January, then from Europe, the United Kingdom and Ireland, and Iran in March
Raised travel warnings to the highest level for hot spot locations like Japan and South Korea
Urged Americans to avoid international travel through a global level 4 travel advisory
Routed Americans returning from “hotspots” to specific airports for screening and possible quarantine
Expanded airport screenings and instituted mandatory quarantines as necessary
Restricted non-essential travel across our northern and southern borders
Announced that we can no longer detain illegal immigrants in our holding facilities and will immediately return them either to the country they entered from or to their country of origin

Providing Coronavirus Testing

Issued emergency FDA approval for new coronavirus tests
Secured legislation so that Americans can be tested for free
Worked with partners to open up drive-through testing sites
Worked with the private sector to develop a website that Americans can use to determine whether they need a test and, if so, where to get it
Provided funding to speed the development of rapid diagnostic tests
Cut red tape at the FDA to expand available testing
Empowered states to use tests developed and used by laboratories in their states
Set up 15 Department of Defense coronavirus testing sites worldwide
Airlifted hundreds of thousands of swabs and sample test kits from Italy

Supporting Businesses

Consulted with business leaders on the front lines, including the pharmaceutical industry, airlines, health insurers, grocery and retail stores, banks, and others
Announced disaster loans for impacted businesses and relaxed loan criteria to make them
available to more businesses
Approved the establishment of the Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility to provide liquidity to the financial system
Negotiated for tax credits to some businesses that offer their employees paid leave
Increased flexibility in unemployment insurance programs
Moved Tax Day from April 15 to July 15
Purchased crude oil for the strategic reserve

Supporting Families, and Working Americans

Announced up to $100 million in dislocated worker grants
Signed legislation to get emergency nutritional aid to senior citizens, women, children, and low-income families
Cut red tape at the USDA to allow meal service during school closures
Worked with the private sector to deliver nearly a million meals a week to students in rural schools closed due to the coronavirus
Halted foreclosures and evictions for families with FHA-insured mortgages
Signed legislation to provide continuity in educational benefits for veterans
Allowed colleges and universities to more easily move their classes online
Set a 0% interest rate on all federally held student loans and allowed borrowers to suspend payments on those loans for at least two months

Keeping Americans Informed

The coronavirus task force holds press conferences nearly every day to provide Americans with the latest information
Issued guidelines for Americans to follow and do their part to stem the spread of the virus
Launched coronavirus.gov to keep the public informed about the outbreak
Launched a partnership to provide public services announcements

Protecting Patients and Healthcare Providers

The President donated his fourth-quarter 2019 salary to coronavirus response efforts
Deployed two Naval medical ships to support impacted areas
Issued guidance to protect vulnerable elderly Americans and limit visits to nursing homes
Working to limit nonessential, elective medical procedures to free up healthcare resources
Authorized HHS to waive regulations in order to give healthcare providers maximum flexibility to respond to the outbreak
Allowed Medicare Advantage and Part D plans to waive cost-sharing for tests and treatment
Created new billing codes for coronavirus tests to improve tracking
Coordinated the effort to release a machine-readable collection of 29,000 coronavirus-related research articles, to help scientists discover insights to virus’ genetics, incubation, treatment, symptoms, and prevention
Announced that health plans with health savings accounts will be able to cover coronavirus testing and treatment without co-payments
Expanded telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries, ensuring more patients can access their doctors remotely
Lifted HIPAA penalties to enable healthcare providers to expand telehealth access for patients
Established 19 VA emergency operations centers and placed restrictions on visitation to limit patients’ exposure
Announced that Carnival Cruise Lines will make ships available for hospitals to use for non-coronavirus patients

Providing Essential Medical Supplies

Invoked the Defense Production Act
Signed a memorandum to make general-use face masks available to healthcare workers
Announced the purchase of 500 million respirators
Announced that the Department of Defense will provide 5 million respirator masks and 2,000 specialized ventilators
Signed legislation allowing manufacturers to sell industrial masks directly to hospitals

Getting the Vaccines & Treatments We Need

Announced the beginning of a clinical trial for a coronavirus vaccine
Working across sectors to accelerate the development of treatments and a coronavirus vaccine
Directed the FDA to evaluate existing drugs that could serve as potential treatment for coronavirus patients
Expanding research and consulting with experts to better understand the transmission of coronavirus
Working with drug manufacturers to monitor potential drug supply chain issues