The White House approaches panic level over the spread of Coronavirus, with officials divided over urgent steps and blaming each other for mismanagement.
Meanwhile, with the US and global stock markets in a record-setting dive, Donald Trump said he would propose a temporary payroll tax cut and paid leave for hourly employees unable to work because of the virus. He announced, “We have been handling it very well. The main thing is that we’re taking care of the American public.”
His officials disagreed.
A “senior administration official” blamed the national security staff for failure in the initial response.
Another criticized current efforts under Vice President Mike Pence, “The Office of the Vice President seems way in over their heads. They don’t know what they’re doing.”
And some tried to pin the blame on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield.
A series of meetings on Monday split over how far to limit movement, with the official US toll at more than 700 cases and 26 dead.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and some advisors warned of an overreaction. But others called for a shutdown of borders, a halt to cruise ship voyages, and expansion of travel restrictions.
And Trump’s attempt to show control, at a White House briefing, with his economic measures failed to rally Republican legislators.
“Well, I usually love tax cuts, but I think it’s a little bit premature,” said Sen. John Cornyn, the third-ranking Republican Senator. “I think it’s too early to know.”
Trump also failed to calm the stock market, which fell another 8% on Monday. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones indexes are now down about 20% compared to mid-February.
Only last week a senior Administration official said a fiscal stimulus would be a mistake, and top White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow cautiously advocated a “targeted” approach.
But officials said Trump was pushed to move by Monday’s drop in the markets, compounded by a drop of more than 30% in the global oil price amid a Saudi-Russian price war.
However, before the markets opened on Monday, Trump appeared to be oblivious to the developments, tweeting, “Good for the consumer, gasoline prices coming down!”
Trump’s announcement did little to dispel worries about the administration’s steps over the virus. Critics say the Administration rejected a World Health Organization lab test, and instead oversaw distribution of a faulty alternative. State officials and medics say they are woefully undersupplied to find out who might be infected.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Sunday that there may have to be regional lockdowns and limits on travel by the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.
TrumpWatch, Day 1,143: Officials — Trump’s Mismanagement Fuels Coronavirus Crisis
EA on talkRADIO: Trump v. CoronaVirus, Biden v. Sanders
Several GOP legislators have said that they are going into 14-day self-isolation after engaging with an attendee at the Conservative Political Action Conference in late February in Maryland.
Sen. Ted Cruz and Reps. Paul Gosar and Matt Gaetz are among those affected. Cruz met Trump at the CPAC gathering, and Gaetz flew with Trump on Air Force One to Florida last week.
Gaetz had poked fun at the reaction to Coronavirus, appearing on the floor of the House in a gas mask. One of his constitutents died of the virus days later.
