4/2/20: Members of the Coronavirus Task Force Hold a Press Briefing

The President: Okay. Thank you so much. It's good to be with all of you. We are in a very critical phase of our war against the

coronavirus

. It is vital that all Americans follow our “30 Days to Slow the Spread” guidelines. The sacrifices we make over the next four weeks will save countless American lives. We are going to save many American lives. And we have a lot of control of our own destiny. Maintaining social distancing, practicing strict hygiene and staying home are the most effective ways to win the war and escape danger. While you fight this battle from home, we work with the best scientists, doctors and researchers around the world.

We are racing to develop new ways to protect ourselves against the virus, as well as therapies, treatments and, ultimately, a vaccine. And we are making a lot of progress. I think that, medically, there are many advances. At the same time, we're also racing to provide relief to American workers and small businesses, as you know. I want to remind small business owners across the United States that the Paycheck Protection Program launches tomorrow. Nearly $350 billion in loans will be available to small businesses, including sole proprietors. These loans are up to 100 percent forgivable as long as employers continue paying their workers.

You have to take care of your workers. Additionally, we want Social Security recipients to know that if they are not normally required to file a tax return, they do not have to file to receive the direct cash payments that will soon be distributed to American citizens. The Treasury will deposit the money directly into the bank accounts. And don't forget, I will always protect your Social Security, your Medicare and your Medicaid. We are protecting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and always will. Now I would like to invite SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza, who is doing a fantastic job (she is going to be very busy in the coming days), and Secretary Steve Mnuchin, to say a few words about these vital initiatives.

And then we will move on to the attack of the virus itself. And please, if I may, Steve and Jovita. Administrator Carranza: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President and Mr. Vice President, Secretary Mnuchin, Ivanka Trump, and everyone with whom I have been working closely on this effort. Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, and the President has put the country's 30 million small businesses front and center in the response effort, and we are working hard to get money to them quickly. This is an unprecedented effort by this administration to support small businesses and we know there will be challenges along the way.

Secretary Mnuchin and I are working together to ensure that our partners' feedback is heard and implemented. The public and private sectors must work closely to ensure that small businesses and their workers across the country are prioritized. This administration wholeheartedly believes that if you are a small business, you are a critical part of the economic fabric of this country. And its viability is essential for the economic well-being of its employees. At the SBA, we are working around the clock to support small businesses, making sure to prioritize emergency capital for small businesses that are suffering economic harm as a result of this unprecedented situation.

This relief will help stabilize the small business sector by providing businesses with the financial resources they need to keep their workers employed and keep up with their daily operating expenses. Today I want to make sure small businesses across the country are aware of the Paycheck Protection Program and how they can benefit from it. Simply put, the Paycheck Protection Program aims to help keep employees on payroll and small businesses open. The SBA will forgive the portion of the loan that is used to maintain employment and certain other expenses. We are working closely with lenders so businesses can go directly to their local lenders.

The Paycheck Protection Program adds to the substantial work the SBA has done and will continue to do to help small businesses, including providing advances on SBA disaster loans and forgiving payments on existing SBA loans. SBA for the next six months. Additional details about these critically important programs can be found at SBA.gov. And we will update these resources periodically. Our hearts go out to those affected by this terrible virus. Our communities across the country are stepping up and together we will get through this. At the SBA, we know that every phone call, email, or application submitted has a small business owner, their employees, and the communities they support on the other end.

Our most important goal is to enable small businesses to keep their employees on board and keep their businesses viable through this unprecedented disruption. I want to reiterate the importance of patience in this process as we work together to ensure that businesses can access the necessary credit. We will continue to work around the clock, as we have, with our federal and private sector partners, expanding capacity and working to make our systems as robust as possible to meet needs. Thank you, Mr. President. The President: Thank you, Jovita. Very good. Thank you. SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Thank you, Mr. President, thank you, Mr.

Vice President, and thank you, Jovita. Mr. President, you have made it clear to us that we must now execute. We need to get money to small businesses and American workers, and that's what we're doing. The SBA and Treasury have committed to launching this program tomorrow. And when Jovita says that people are working 24 hours a day, literally: we had both teams working until 4 in the morning and we started working again today. We've heard feedback from lenders, community banks, regional banks and spent the last 24 hours making this system even easier. So this will be working tomorrow. I recommend all small businesses with 500 people or less contact their lenders.

Any FDIC institution may do this; any credit union, existing SBA lenders, and fintech lenders. You get the money. You will receive it the same day. You use this to pay your workers. Please bring your workers back to work. If you let them go, you have eight weeks plus overhead. This is a very important program. I am pleased to announce that we are increasing the interest rate on these loans and, again, the interest rate is paid as part of the program; the borrower does not have to pay this: up to 1 percent. We had announced that it was going to be 50 basis points.

We've heard from some smaller community banks that their deposit costs - even though the government is borrowing at three or four basis points - are, on average, a 90-day loan. To make this attractive to community banks, we have agreed to increase the interest rate. Again, I encourage everyone to take the Paycheck Protection Program. I am also pleased to report economic impact payments. I had previously said this would take three weeks. I am pleased to inform you that, within two weeks, the first payments will be deposited directly into the taxpayers' account. And as the President said last night, the President authorized me to say that anyone who has Social Security beneficiaries will not need to file a new tax return, and we will.

If we do not have your direct deposit information, we will create a web portal for you to do so. It is a very big priority. The President has made it clear that we want this money to get into your hands quickly. I am also pleased to report that we continue to work closely with the Federal Reserve. We are in the process of designing a new service we call the “Main Street” lending service. We are also looking at facilities for state governments. And I'm also happy to tell you about the employee retention credit - it's up and running.

The first $10,000 of salary, you get a 50 percent credit; That's $5,000 per person. For everyone who has stayed with someone, you can get that money immediately; You can deduct it from what you owe the IRS immediately. If you don't owe us money, you'll get a refundable tax credit. So that's up and running. I'm also happy to report that we have the program up and running. We are accepting applications from airlines, cargo companies and national security companies. Thank you very much, Mr. President. The President: Thank you, Steve. For Jovita or Steve, any questions please? La Prensa: Mr. Secretary, Chase Bank sent a letter today to its commercial clients saying that they do not have the necessary guidance from the SBA, from the Department of the Treasury, to be able to accept loan applications starting tomorrow.

The need is clearly enormous. But at least one major bank says it is not yet fully capable of helping its customers. SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Well, yesterday I spoke to all the CEOs - I had a conference call with them - and we got very good input from them on what they needed. Like I said, people were working until 4 o'clock. I think we just published new guidelines for lenders in the Federal Register. They have assured me that the banks will be in the process starting tomorrow. Now, again, it's going to take a little bit of time, but we've committed to it being available tomorrow, and I encourage all businesses to visit SBA.com and Treasury.gov.

You will be able to see the information you need immediately. Press: Just to follow up with small business owners. Several of them say that they were on that conference call and that there is a tremendous power struggle between Treasury and the SBA, and that it is about processes and forms, is what they tell me; that lenders are actually opting out because they can't make enough money to even pay off the loans. So how are you going to make sure these small business owners get the capital they need to survive right now? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Well, first of all, I can assure you that Jovita is here.

Jovita used to work for me as a treasurer. There is no struggle for power. ADMINISTRATOR CARRANZA: No. SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Jovita and our team, as I said, worked together until 4 in the morning and started working again at 7 in the morning. We have simplified the form. And I can assure you, in five points: I have told these bankers that they should take all their merchants and put them in the branches. There will never be another opportunity to earn five points on a 90-day loan fully guaranteed by the government. La Prensa: And those checks directly into direct deposit, the IRS now says it would take four to five months;

You're saying two weeks. Can you give us a solid answer... SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Well, let me be... let me be clear. I don't know where you are hearing these things. I told you it would be three weeks. I'm not committing to two weeks. We are fulfilling our commitments. The IRS, which I oversee, within two weeks, the first money will be in people's accounts. Press: To continue with this: I think the question is not about the first controls. For people who have direct deposit, it looks like they will cancel out pretty quickly. The question then is for people who don't have direct deposit.

SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Sure. The Press: And there was a staff memo that was released today by the House Ways and Means Committee that said that process could take up to five weeks. That brings you to mid-August. Is that how long it will take? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: That's not going to take five... Press: Or five months, sorry. SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Again, let me tell you that when Obama sent out these checks, it took months and months and months. I assure the American public. They need the money now. What we're going to do is... again, if we have your information, you'll get it in two... two weeks from now.

Social Security, you will receive it very quickly after that. If we don't have your information, you will have a simple web portal; you will upload it. If we don't have it, we will mail you checks. Press: How many checks can you process in a week? How many checks can you? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Again, we can process a lot of checks, but we don't want to send checks. In this environment, we don't want people to receive checks. We want to put money directly into your account. Press: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. This is, I suppose, for both you and the Administrator.

There have been some anecdotal reports that business owners are attempting to access the online site to submit applications. The website has been crashing. I've heard of webinars going offline because there are too many people on them. So how are you going to be prepared tomorrow to get these loans? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: We have brought manyresources outside the SBA and us to ensure there is additional capacity. As I said, we heard a lot of positive feedback yesterday to simplify this process. It will be in operation. Now, let me be clear: that doesn't mean everyone is going to get their loan tomorrow.

But the system will be in operation. We encourage people over the next week to register. You can continue right now. You can go to the website and see what information you need. Very simple process. La Prensa: Mr. Secretary, on a separate topic, have you been in contact with Leader McConnell and Speaker Pelosi about their differences right now over another stimulus package? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: I spoke to... I spoke to the Leader, I spoke to the Speaker. I have spoken with the president constantly. When the President is ready and thinks we should move on to the next stage, we will be ready.

The President has talked about the issue of infrastructure since the campaign. I think you know that's a big priority for him. And again, if we run out of money for the small business program, we will immediately go back to Congress to increase it. Press: Do the current unemployment figures increase the urgency of carrying out a phase four? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Well, let me tell you that we are going through something we have never done before, where the government has shut down large parts of the economy for health reasons. Our economy was in very good shape; our companies were in very good shape.

There are three ways Americans will be protected. Small businesses will receive payments from their company through this program. Direct deposit. There is also an increase in unemployment. So we realized that, unfortunately, there are many companies that, because they are not operating for a short period of time, again we are working with the states to improve unemployment. And as soon as the medical professionals and the president give the go-ahead, we will have plenty of liquidity. We have about $6 trillion (this has never been done between us and the Federal Reserve) to put into the economy to support American workers and businesses.

Press: Mr. Secretary, in addition to the unemployment numbers we saw today, phase three was signed before social distancing guidelines were extended for another month. So what additional relief are they going to give Americans who will be out of work for all these extra weeks? I mean, what are you waiting for? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Well, in designing this program we thought we would have liquidity for approximately 10 weeks. And that is what we have designed. And again, I think the President has been very clear: If we need to come back to Congress to support the American economy and American workers, we will do that.

Press: Secretary Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi formed a select committee to oversee the distribution of recovery funds. And he says he wants to make sure those funds are spent wisely and efficiently. Do you think that Select Committee is necessary? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: No. I mean, you know, both sides wanted us to have oversight, they wanted us to have transparency. We have total transparency. We have an oversight committee where the Speaker chooses someone and the Leader chooses someone. I think there are five people in it. And again, that committee will review the money that we're spending. And again, we support full transparency.

Taxpayers must understand how we are going to support this economy and jobs. Press: Mr. Secretary, Senator Murkowski has asked you to consider providing loans to energy companies under the CARES Act, the phase three bill. What do you think about that? Would you consider making those loans to energy companies? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Thank you and let me clarify. I have very limited ability to make direct loans from the Treasury. I can make them for passenger airlines, cargo airlines, contractors and national security companies. Beyond that, we worked with the Federal Reserve to create broad-based credit facilities, and we will do so.

So our expectation is that energy companies, like all of our other companies, will be able to participate in broad-based facilities, whether the corporate facility or the Main Street facility, but not in direct Treasury loans. Press: A question to clarify direct payments to Americans. For those people who don't have bank accounts, who don't have direct deposit information on file with the IRS, how long would they have to wait to receive their check? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Well, for people who don't have direct deposit, again, we'll have an easy way to do that. We can do it continuously. I think in a couple of days, when they deliver it to us, we will send the money.

We realize that there are people who do not have sufficient banking services. And again, we're working with all the digital companies, prepaid debit cards. We are working with all of them to make sure we have a process for all Americans to get their money quickly. This money is of no use to people if it appears in four months. And we will keep that promise. The Press: So "quickly" is a matter of weeks and maybe not months? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: "Quick" is a matter of weeks, not months. That's right. Press: Mr. Secretary, would you consider a moratorium? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: In the back.

Forward. Press: Mr. Secretary, one area where direct loans can be made is to airlines. To what extent do you expect the Treasury Department and the federal government to be involved in overseeing airline operations in terms of which routes they cut, how much they operate, what they do with their employees, and things like that? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: There are very strict requirements that are built into the bill. Again, this was a bipartisan requirement. First, whatever we do with the airlines, they have to keep substantially all of their employees. Again, any money we give them will go toward paying their employees.

We will be working with the Secretary of Transportation. There are requirements to maintain certain routes. Again we have a very clear process. We have hired three external advisors who will be financial advisors and three law firms. We will publish that information shortly. And I want to thank you. They all basically work for very, very little money. They couldn't work for free, so they agreed to work basically so they would sign up to work for charities. Again, there are no big commissions for the bankers. We have a great team of three lawyers and three financial advisors who will help us.

Press: Mr. Secretary, just to follow up, could you give us a list of the names of the people who are advising you when you release the information? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Of course we will. We will give you the names and contracts. Again, the

press

: Do you have any name at the moment other than BlackRock? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Again, I'm pleased to announce that we have... the PJT partners... okay? -- passenger airlines will do it; Moelis & Company will handle the cargo and contractors; and Perella Weinberg will be in charge of national security. And there will be three law firms, which we will announce shortly, that will be working in each of those sectors.

And again, let me be clear: we must do this quickly. Airlines need money. We will work very closely with the Department of Transportation and we will do it quickly. In fact, we have already received contracts from many people. Again, there is guidance on the web. Total transparency. We have requested applications. La Prensa: Mr. Secretary, returning to the issue of airlines, Speaker Pelosi and others have said that the government taking stakes in those airlines should not be a condition for the federal government to specifically provide payroll support. . What is your response to that? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: I spoke with the Speaker last night about that.

This was something that was highly negotiated between Republicans and Democrats. The president was personally involved in this. He was on the phone with us many times. Mitch McConnell, Mark Meadows, senators from both sides. There is a specific line in the bill that says the Secretary, meaning me, will determine appropriate compensation. So this is not a bailout for the airlines. And I'll be working... once we get the advice from our financial advisors, we get the requests from the airlines, I'll work very closely with the President and we'll make sure we get the balance right, not a bailout.

Taxpayers receive compensation. But these airlines are national security issues. We want to keep our airlines intact. Press: Mr. Secretary, more generally, perhaps for the Administrator, if not for you as well. Some small businesses, like restaurant owners, for example, are finding that laying off their employees so they can start collecting unemployment is better for both them as business owners and their workers. What incentives do you have now to keep your employees on the payroll if no one comes into your restaurant? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Well, the incentive that you have - and we want to keep American businesses intact.

The incentive is: these are loans that turn into grants. So if you are a business owner and you have a restaurant, you can rehire your people and you get money for their medical services. You keep them on the medical plan. You get money for your rent. You get money for your electricity. Then you are motivated. We want you to have a business that you can quickly reopen when appropriate. So this costs business owners nothing. You know, when people talk about... I can't imagine that any American worker who had a job, offered to keep it, and doesn't want to have it.

And let me be clear: We have also talked about this issue of unemployment. You can only get unemployment if you don't have a job. Therefore, unemployment is intended for those people who belong to medium or large companies (and we are very understanding of this) that these companies cannot afford. And for those people, increased unemployment will be a significant benefit. But we want to make sure that 50 percent of the American work

force

are small businesses of fewer than 500 people. The President, the Vice President, the Administrator and I want to make sure this part of the economy is ready and intact when we are ready to reopen.

La Prensa: A question for the Administrator, if I may. Is there a certain category of small business that concerns you most? Restaurants, hair salons, things like that? ADMINISTRATOR CARRANZA: That's a great question. We care about all small businesses. There are 30 million small businesses that we are really focused on. And we are working feverishly to ensure that we can provide them with the available funds as quickly as possible. There are 30 million small businesses and the other businesses are being treated with the PPP, with Paycheck Protection. The disaster also occurred, what we call the damage, or the economic injury disaster loan.

And then there was also a trailer associated with that particular program. So to answer your question, we care about all companies. And as the Secretary indicated, we seek to ensure that employees are prepared, not lost in this process. We want companies to remain intact because they represent half of the GDP. So if we spend a trillion to support 10 or 11 trillion, I think that's a significant investment, and that's what we're focused on. Press: Is there any segment that is particularly vulnerable? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Let me... I just want to... wait. I just want to make a comment by way of explanation, because I want to make sure everyone understands this.

If you are an independent contractor, if you are a sole proprietor, you are also eligible for this. Now, that program won't be up and running until next week. But again, this is a very broad definition of small business. So if you're an independent plumber, if you're an independent contractor, you're covered under this program. It's a little more complicated; you have to come to your bank and give them more information. But starting next week, that part of the program will be up and running. Also, charities. Charities too. Very important. The vice president and president made sure we covered small charities on this.

Press: And that includes churches and religious nonprofit organizations? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Yes, although there are some technical issues. But yes, it includes religious organizations. La Prensa: Is that under the SBA program? SECRETARY MNUCHIN: This is under the PPP. Yes, the new SBA program is covered. The President: Are you okay? Thank you very much to all. SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Okay. Thank you all. The President: Thank you, Jovita. Thanks Steve. Great job. Thank you. Well, that starts right away and they start handing out checks. And I hope many people get their businesses back quickly. And we'll see. It's complicated, big.

Small businesses are actually big businesses. So theyI thank you both. And please... good. We have some great gentlemen. Let me see. Great gentlemen. That's right. Thank you so much. Today, my administration is also issuing new guidance to protect older Americans who remain the most vulnerable. By now, nursing homes should have suspended entry of all medically unnecessary staff. Today, we further recommend that all nursing homes assign the same staff to care for the same group of residents consistently to minimize any potential spread. And we also urge facilities to designate separate areas for healthy and sick residents. And this is a practice that we will probably recommend in the future, long after the enemy is gone, this particular enemy is gone.

We are also doing everything we can to provide relief to our great veterans. We take very good care of our veterans. Under my direction, Secretary Wilkie will use all authority at his disposal to extend benefit deadlines and postpone debt collection. We currently perform more than 100,000

coronavirus

tests a day. It's over a thousand... a hundred thousand tests a day, and they're accurate tests and they're being done quickly, which is more than any other country in the world, both in terms of raw number and also in percentage terms. capita basis. Hills. The FDA has also authorized the first coronavirus antibody test developed by Cellex, a key step that will help identify people who have recovered and understand their immune response and immune system.

Moments ago, I directed Secretary Azar and Acting Secretary Wolf to use all available authority under the Defense Production Act to ensure that domestic manufacturers have the supplies they need to produce ventilators for patients with severe cases of C-O-V-I-D 19 . Know what it is? , good? Become a very famous term: C-O-V-I-D – COVID. This action will help General Electric, Hill-Rom, Medtronic, ResMed, Royal Philips and Vyaire Medical overcome supply chain obstacles that threaten the rapid production of ventilators. We have over 100,000 under construction right now or soon. We anticipate issuing additional orders under the Defense Production Act in the very near future.

In addition to the one I just signed against 3M for masks, we just signed an element of the Law against 3M. And hopefully they can do what they're supposed to do. I just spoke with Mary Barra at General Motors and she told me that very soon they will be ready to begin production of the ventilators. They have a lot of fans that they have committed to building and they will start working very, very quickly. FEMA continues to deliver resources to areas hardest hit by the virus, including New York. In addition to the 3,000 beds we are already providing to the Javits Center, the Department of Defense is adding another 48 ICU beds.

Governor Cuomo has asked that this facility (and it is a large, beautiful facility) be converted to a COVID hospital. And we hadn't done it yet. We hadn't thought in terms of doing that. But its use is... its real demand is that. And we had meetings about it with the working group. We had meetings with the military. And I've decided to say, "Yes, I'm going to do that," that I'll sign and accept a "yes" answer. So we will do it and we will also have staff. So the federal government is doing a lot of things it wasn't expected to do.

This is a 2,500 (and/or 2,900 that can easily be installed) hospital built at the Javits Center. And then we will turn it into a COVID-19 hospital. And it will be staffed by military and federal government personnel. And based on the fact that I agreed to that, we had two other facilities that were also requesting it, and they would be in Louisiana and also in Dallas. And we will do them. We talked to the governor of Louisiana, we talked to the governor of Texas. And we've told them that we will staff those hospitals, again, further, but that's okay.

We have to do that. Additionally, the USNS Comfort is docked in New York to accept patients. That's not COVID. To date, FEMA has delivered more than 4 million N95 respirators. And they are... think about that: 4 million. Four millions. Don't forget, we are a secondary source. The states are doing it and we support them. But we have received 4 million N95 respirators, 1.8 million surgical masks, 460,000 face shields, 1.4 million gloves and 4,400 ventilators for New York City and State alone. And some of them are now being shipped. I spoke with Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio a while ago and some of them are being sent to the city.

All of America stands with the people of New York in this time of need. It's definitely a hotspot, but we have other hotspots too. And we are taking them, taking care of them very, very strongly, very powerfully. We have the best people in the world in those places. And I think the federal government has not only acted early, but has acted quickly and professionally. There are no people like that. Doctors, nurses, first responders and other healthcare providers who want to help New York at this critical time should visit NYC.gov/HelpNow. NYC.gov/HelpNow. They need help now.

They need people to help them. We have great facilities and have built some big new ones, but we need help. We need help from professional people. So if you are in an area that is not as affected and you are a doctor, nurse or healthcare worker, please visit that website. And we would really appreciate your help. New York City needs it. Louisiana, by the way, needs it. Michigan needs it. Everything you can do. Those are very strong critical points; they need help. In recent weeks, as the virus spread and economic hardship continued, we have seen Americans come together with incredible altruism and compassion.

I want to remind everyone here in our nation's capital, especially in Congress, that this is not the time for politics, nor for endless partisan investigations. Here we go again. They have already caused extraordinary damage to our country in recent years. You see what happens. It's one witch hunt after another, after another. And in the end, the people doing the witch hunting have been losing, and they have been losing badly. And this is no time for witch hunts. It's time to defeat this enemy. Conducting these partisan investigations in the middle of a pandemic is a truly huge waste of vital resources, time and attention.

And we want to fight for American lives, not waste time and boost my poll numbers, because that's all they're doing because everyone knows it's ridiculous. So we want to focus on the people of this country, even the people of the world; We are going to be able to help them, because, right now, for example, we are building so many ventilators... It is very, very difficult to build, but we are building thousands. Thousands of them. And many of them will come at a time when we won't need them as much, because it takes time. Very complex, very expensive.

And we can help outside our country. We think we can help. That is something that cannot be produced easily. As citizens, we are united by shared bonds of national love, loyalty and affection. There is no earthly

force

more powerful than the patriotic pride that stirs in our hearts. And that is very true. It's incredible the work everyone has been doing. All. They don't sleep. They don't go to bed. Sometimes they get nothing. I recently said to someone on the

task

force, "How many hours have you slept in the last few days?" The answer was "none." None.

In a Massachusetts neighborhood, citizens emerge from their homes every night at 8 o'clock from their porches and sing "God Bless America." Others have joined together to spread from house to house, from street to street, to their small town, in a spirit of patriotism and reminding all Americans that we are all in this together. We will fight together and win together. We're going to win this. Now, what I'd like to do is... I'm going out. We have a meeting on this topic. And I'm going out just for a few moments. I'll be right back. We will answer some questions.

But there are hard-working people who have done incredible work, led by Vice President Mike Pence, head of the

task

force. And then Jared Kushner will say a few words. And Admiral Polowczyk, Peter Navarro, Dr. Birx and me. I'll be right back. Then I'll see you in a bit. I did a test; just came out. This is from the White House doctor. You may have it. It just came out. I just took it this morning. And I took it. It literally took me a minute to take it. And he took me, I guess it was 14 or 15 minutes.

I went to work. I didn't wait, but he said it took me 14 minutes or so to come to a conclusion. And he said, "The president tested negative for CVOID-19." So that's the second one. I think I took it, really, out of curiosity to see how quickly it worked and how quickly it worked, and it's a lot easier. I've done them both. And the second one is much nicer, Jeff, I can tell you that. Much nicer. So I'll be back in a while. And Mike, please take charge. Thank you. Thank you very much to all. I'll be right back.

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mr. President. The White House Coronavirus Task Force met today, but earlier in the day, the President summoned all key elements of our supply chain team to the Oval Office for an update on the progress we're making. we have been achieving, working literally around the clock to make sure that our healthcare workers, the people on the front lines, have the personal protective equipment and also the ventilators to be able to meet this moment. And today you will hear from the people who are literally working, working every day to make that happen. Dr.

Deborah Birx is also with us. She will reflect in a moment on the progress we are making in analyzing the data. Every day, we search county by county, state by state, consulting with governors and local health officials. More than 1.3 million tests have been performed so far. And, as everyone knows, about 236,000 Americans have tested positive for the coronavirus, and now the losses are more than 5,000 Americans. And our hearts go out to their families. Beyond that, we have been focused not only on ensuring that testing is done but also that supplies are flowing. As the president just announced, today he made the decision to deploy thousands of N95 masks directly to public hospitals in New York City.

And our team will talk about that in a moment. And furthermore, the President took the unprecedented step of directing the Department of Defense to use military medical personnel to operate all COVID facilities at the Javits Center in New York, the New Orleans Convention Center and the Dallas Convention Center . And today we informed each of the governors of those states that, at their request, we would make those military medical personnel available to operate in a COVID-only facility. But we want to emphasize to people in that community who believe they have been affected or contracted the coronavirus: contact your local healthcare provider.

We anticipate that in the New York area, your local healthcare provider will make the decision whether to transfer you to the Javits Center. And in all cases, simply seek guidance from your local governors on how best to receive the care that every American... every American is entitled to receive. Beyond that, let me tell you that we have been working on the FEMA procurement process to not only deploy, but also gather personal protective equipment. And, in just a few moments, you will hear Admiral John Polowczyk speak about the extraordinary progress we have made in deploying not only the Strategic National Stockpile, but also in identifying literally millions of N95 masks, surgical gowns, gloves, protective equipment.

And up to this point, we have distributed about 7,600 ventilators. And today you'll hear specifically about the states that have received those ventilators. Just... this team has really acted in an inspiring way and is literally working with dozens and dozens of people on the FEMA Stabilization Task Force to make sure that we spare no effort in finding the supplies that we need. Let me also say that today you will hear from Jared Kushner, senior advisor to the president of the United States, but someone who was directed by the White House Coronavirus Task Force to work with FEMA on supply chain issues.

And in recent weeks he has been leading a task force, along with FEMA, that has literally identified millions of medical supplies across the country and around the world. And we are grateful for your efforts and your leadership. Finally, you will hear from Peter Navarro, who will explain the actions the President took today, using the Defense Production Act. But while today you hear details about the medical supplies that have been distributed, those that have been purchased, those of us who areBy making available, ventilators distributed to hospitals and those that are available, let me remind all Americans that they can make a difference by ensuring that every patient receives the treatment they deserve.

Every health care provider, every doctor, nurse and nursing assistant has the protective equipment to provide the care you would want your family to have as you implement the President's "30 days to slow the spread." I mean, we want you to take the President's Coronavirus Guidelines for America seriously, first, to protect your own health, to protect the health of your family, to protect the health of your community. We know that many people are asymptomatic and people who literally do not know they have the coronavirus but have the ability to infect others. We want you to practice these guidelines: social distancing, using a drive-thru at a restaurant, washing your hands regularly.

But while we focus on supplies today, make no mistake: All Americans can ensure that our healthcare workers and, more importantly, Americans fighting the coronavirus have the equipment to support their treatment by putting into practice these principles, because the fewer Americans contract the coronavirus, the fewer Americans will have to enter our healthcare system. And that will continue to preserve the capacity of our health economy. That's why we thank the millions of Americans who responded in the first two days of "30 Days to Slow the Spread." And I am absolutely confident that, in the days ahead, every American will do their part - for their health, the health of their family, the health of their community - and to ensure the strength and vitality of the best health care services . system in the world.

With that said, let me introduce you to Jared Kushner to talk about the work he's been doing, working with FEMA to ensure a strong supply chain to meet this moment. Jared? MISTER. KUSHNER: Thank you, Mr. Vice President. And thank you for his great leadership of the task force, and thank you also to Dr. Birx and Dr. Fauci. It has been an honor working with you these past few weeks. When the vice president first asked me to help the task force with different tasks, I asked the president what he expected from the task force and how I could best serve him and the task force.

What the President asked is that all the recommendations we make be based on data. He wanted us to be very rigorous, to make sure we studied the data, collected it. A lot of things in this country were happening very quickly and we wanted to make sure that we continued to update our models and make informed decisions and recommendations based on the data that we were able to collect and gather. The President wanted to make sure that we had the people doing the best jobs and that we had the right people focused on all the things that needed to happen to make sure that we can deliver in these unusual times for the American people.

The President also directed me to ensure that I break down all necessary barriers to ensure that the teams can be successful. This is an effort where the government is doing things it doesn't normally do, where we are stepping up and acting very quickly. And the President wants to make sure that the White House fully supports the different people who are leading the different lines of effort to ensure that we do everything at the speed that the President demands. The President also wanted us to make sure we thought outside the box, that we found the best thinkers in the country, that we got the best ideas, and that we did everything we could to make sure that we can keep Americans safe and make sure that we end quickly get to this in the best way possible and balance all the different aspects that need to be thought about as we do this.

This is truly a historic challenge. We haven't seen anything like this in a long, long time. But I am very confident that by providing innovative solutions to these difficult problems, we will make progress. We were

briefing

the President earlier today. He asked me to come out and talk a little bit about what we're doing in the Supply Chain Working Group, which Admiral Polowczyk has been leading. And what he's been very im

press

ed with is the way we've been resourceful in finding products all over the world, all over the country. And we are finding ways to solve the different problems.

The President has been very, very active in this. He really has commanded us to leave no stone unturned. This very morning, very early this morning, I received a call from the President. He told me that friends of his in New York had told him that the New York public hospital system was running out of critical supplies. He gave me instructions this morning. I called Dr. Katz, who runs the system, and asked him which supply he was most concerned about. He told me they were the N95 masks. I asked him what his daily burn was. And I basically got that number, called Admiral Polowczyk and made sure we had the inventory.

We went to the President today, and earlier today, the President called Mayor de Blasio to let him know that we were going to send a month of supplies to the New York public hospital system, to make sure that frontline workers can have peace of mind. who have the N95 masks they need to get through the next month. We will do similar things with all the different public hospitals that are in the hotspots and we will make sure that we are constantly in communication with the local communities. One thing I will say, based solely on the data, is that we have been getting a lot of data from different governors, different mayors, and different cities.

One thing I've seen FEMA do very, very well over the last week is that we are now getting real-time data from many cities. People who have requests for different products and supplies, many of them do so based on projections, which are not realistic projections. Projections change every day as we see cases, as we see the impacts of the "stop the spread" effort that this task force recommended and the President has been pushing. So I guess we'll see. Hopefully that will have an impact. And the task force has been working very hard, through the FEMA group, with Admiral Polowczyk to make sure that we get supplies to people before they run out, and that we do it appropriately.

I would just like to introduce you to Admiral Polowczyk, who before we get to this (I assume he still is) is the deputy director of logistics for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I got a call from one of the senators saying, "Well, why don't you put a big military guy in charge of logistics, the supply chain, and the Defense Production Act?" And I said, "Well, the president already did that." This is the godfather we have in the country for supplies and logistics. He joined the task force 13 days ago at FEMA and put together a team (actually, under the direction of the vice president) that includes people from FEMA, OMB, FDA, HHS, the White House, and everywhere. the rest.

And what they have done over the last 13 days has been truly extraordinary. We have done things the government has never done before, faster than ever. And what we are seeing now is that we find a lot of supplies in the country. We've been distributing them where we anticipate there will be needs and also trying to make sure we get to the places where there are needs. So I can tell you that the people in the task force are working day and night. You have many people in the government. We recognize the challenge facing the United States right now.

We know what many people on the front lines are facing: the fear they have of not having the supplies they need. And our goal is to work as hard as we can to make sure we don't let you down. So I just want to thank everyone. And with that, I want to introduce you to Admiral Polowczyk, who is doing an incredible job. REAR ADMIRAL POLOWCZYK: Thank you, Mr. Kushner, Mr. Vice President. So today I'm going to cover a couple of topics, a couple of five things. The first thing I am going to talk about is the resources withdrawn from the federal government.

And then I'm going to talk about this airlift, which you may have heard about. I'm going to talk about data. As you said, we have... Mr. Kushner is absolutely right; We are trying to be data-driven. And with that, I'm going to talk a little bit about how we're trying to expand the industrial base here to meet this challenge. So the first thing I want to talk about is surgical masks. So we've all quickly stated the numbers here. So I'm about to look at several different slides to give you the scale and magnitude of federal resources that have been applied to the problem.

Thus, 27.1 million surgical masks were sent to state governments. For N95 masks, 19.5 million N95 masks. And so if I were... if I were at a local hospital that was falling short, I would look up because the federal government has pulled resources. Thus, for protective gloves, 22.4 million. 22.4 million pairs of protective gloves. For face shields, 5.2 million face shields. Regarding respirators, we have sent more than 7,600 respirators to the states. And I think as I've been coming here, that number has changed slightly. I think now 7,640 have been awarded to these states, mainly to the majority of these states. That's why we wanted it to have some numbers.

Now, as we have indicated, we have ventilators in the National Reserve. We take out the fans. We are

hold

ing back ventilators to get to the point of need. But we are also purchasing ventilators, asking the industrial base who produces approximately, before COVID, approximately 30,000 ventilators a year. Over the next few months, at the end of June, we will work to acquire 100,000. And so one of the tools that we're going to anticipate that we're going to need and that we've already executed is that all of the suppliers that we're going to buy from will potentially need help in their supply chains with their suppliers.

We could rate orders. We could help them get ahead of others in that effort. So I think Mr. Navarro will talk a little more about that later. Let me talk about the airlift. Therefore, it typically takes approximately 37 days to receive the product from abroad: load it, bring it to the United States, and distribute it. That's about 37 days. So to prime the pump, so to speak, we've lined up on an airlift to get product out there faster, working with our major suppliers, as they have, as they work to fill orders to get more to customers. health workers now.

We are working to align transportation with product. Now, one of the things we're also doing is the team that works for me is going around the world and finding bags of personal protective equipment that wouldn't otherwise be in the US hospital supply chain. This It also happens on these flights. Six completed and several scheduled. There are twenty-eight flights scheduled here in the near future. We're... we're working toward... some days we'll have one flight, some days there might be two flights, multiple flights in the next few days. These 28 or... as far as I can see, in a couple of weeks.

Furthermore, matching product to flights to create volume in the supply chain here faster than 37 days. I'm going to leave that while I talk about some other topics. So let's talk about New York City and public health hospitals. I think they're called New York City Hospitals and Health. The President ordered... as I speak, pallets are being formed and trucks are being loaded. I gave an address here in New York City an hour or two ago. And one of our distributors is making that happen, and delivery will be made tomorrow. On the data front, this is almost unprecedented.

This is a commercial supply chain with six or seven major distributors of healthcare equipment. We brought them all together and said we have to make informed decisions and we're going to help make informed decisions about allocation. So, in a matter of days, feeding off their business systems (their enterprise resource-like systems), I incorporated a tool (a supply chain tower) that the Department of Defense was using to manage the supply chain for a very complex weapon. . system. Your data goes into a data lake. We have a tool to be able to use your data and view it. I can know what product is coming in, what their orders are, what they are filling, what they are not filling, see the volume in the supply chain and understand what they are doing at the county level.

We are working to potentially take it to the hospital level. So, we took a look at these 200-odd N95 respirators, in the supply chain, and we said we can't, we have the volume to do it. I called the dealer and they're doing...they're making that happen. We anticipate, as points ofaccess throughout the country, that these suppliers, under our direction, help them assign the product to the right place at the right time. So if I can finally talk about the expansion of the industrial base. The other day, the vice president was at Walmart and said, "I want to play this game.

How do I do it?" Then I got the call. We provide them with specifications. And now Walmart will have to use its suppliers to cut fabrics, make dresses and sew products. But that is not always the case. We have many people who want to help. I think you'll see, in the coming days, the Defense Production Act being used in creative ways to help people who aren't doing this today do it. Basically, we have clues (well yesterday's number was 210, I think it probably went up today) that we're working with to find how each of them might need help getting into the game, that's not in the game, to increase performance across the healthcare market.

Once again, the president gave me a task: get more to our healthcare workers now. And I took it seriously because, it's not that I don't need that from the President, that order to move, but I have family in New York. My sister is a nurse practitioner at a hospital in Westchester and my niece is a nurse at a hospital on Long Island. And I have other health professionals in the family. So I have skin in this game. The president asked me to reach out more to health workers. I'm going to get more to healthcare workers. I would like to give it to Mr.

Navarro. THE VICE PRESIDENT: (Inaudible) The 200,000 will leave tomorrow. REAR ADMIRAL POLOWCZYK: The 200,000 will be leaving as we speak. THE VICE PRESIDENT: You may want to be very specific about this. REAR ADMIRAL POLOWCZYK: It will be delivered tomorrow. Press: Can I ask a question? THE VICE PRESIDENT: Let me make it clear, if I may. What Jared announced, what the admiral just unpacked is that pallets are being loaded right now to ship 200,000 N95 masks. REAR ADMIRAL POLOWCZYK: N95 respirators. THE VICE PRESIDENT: -- to the city of New York, to the public health hospitals. REAR ADMIRAL POLOWCYZK: T the public health warehouse in New York City.

THE VICE PRESIDENT: To all health care workers: help is on the way. Press: Based on the tools and data you have at your disposal, where is the impasse? Where have you been? How have you identified that? REAR ADMIRAL POLOWCYZK: I think... Press: Because, as you say all this, when we have millions more PPE coming out the door, as you well know, frontline medical workers are not receiving it. REAR ADMIRAL POLOWCYZK: Yes. I would answer you. I would respond this way: we put in a lot of numbers. I said if you're not in a hospital and you're not getting PPE, I would look at the state level first.

La Prensa: But we are not. La Prensa: We have heard governors, sir, say that they cannot get the medical equipment they need. La Prensa: And the reason is that, according to the governors and also the fact that we have not seen any figures on what goes to the private sector, can you tell us what percentage of the supplies from these large cargo planes are going to private companies versus FEMA, versus the states? Is it 80 percent? REAR ADMIRAL POLOWCYZK: S FEMA is... so this product that we're moving is primarily a commercial product that would enter the commercial system and be distributed through financial commercial transactions between hospitals and these distributors.

La Prensa: So, just to clarify that, that explains why the states say they are bidding as if they were on eBay, because the supplies go to the private sector and then they have to go there to get them. REAR ADMIRAL POLOWCYZK: That's usually how things work, right? So I'm not here to disrupt a supply chain and say, look, these six distributors (six, seven) have six to seven hundred warehouses. They have trucks to go to the hospital door every day. We are bringing products. They are filling orders for hospitals and nursing homes, as usual. I'm putting volume on that system.

I would say we finally have the data, so we put this data element together in the last, you know, what? Thirty days? Get people involved, look at the problem, build this. Now I see the truth about what is in the supply chain. And I would say there has been some abnormal behavior. Well? La Prensa: Yes. Thank you, admiral. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee say FEMA officials told them that the ventilators the government ordered won't be ready until June, which is well after the expected peak. Will the Defense Production Act memorandum signed today do anything to speed up that process?

REAR ADMIRAL POLOWCZYK: Yes, it will be. Mr. Navarro will talk about that. We are in line to receive several thousand ventilators in the month of April and several thousand more ventilators in the month of May, increasing to a large number in June. Once again, we went from an industry that produces about 30 a year, from 30,000 to a... to a very large number. La Prensa: Admiral, are you sure that this system means that the states with the greatest need will get the supplies? REAR ADMIRAL POLOWCZYK: Yeah, so... The Press: Because a lot of governors say they can't get what they need and different states have a more pressing urgency, obviously, depending on the number of cases.

REAR ADMIRAL POLOWCZYK: Yes we get married, we get married where the CDC, where the COVID demand is with what is in the commercial system. We are providing it to these, to the commercial system. And we are allocating funds to those who need it most. Thirteen days: now we have the data. Now we can make informed decisions. And so, with all that “I need, I need, I need,” I now know the volume that has been happening and needs to be happening. The Press: So, Admiral, with that... and, Mr. President, I would love for you to weigh in...

The President: Sure. The press: -- thinks about this too. You talk about... well, you alluded to the fact that there is possibly some shady business going on, that the product is here in the United States and... REAR ADMIRAL POLOWCZYK: And coming here. Press: Yes, and he's coming here. It comes from China. It's in warehouses. It is being manufactured here in the United States. It's in warehouses. But it will go to the highest bidder. So what can be done to keep those products here in the United States, not go overseas where companies are making a lot of money?

And... Rear Admiral Polowczyk: Yes. I'm going to let Mr. Navarro talk about that. La Prensa: -- and distribute it in the most critical places here in the US. The President: Yes. Sure. Peter, go ahead. Press: I would love to know how that is being done. Because doctors... I've talked to surgeons... Mr. Navarro: That's great. Great, great question. The Press: -- regularly. Mr. Navarro: Let me... let me give you a broader view of the DPA, and we'll address that directly. What we have, essentially, is a nation at war. We have a wartime president behind me. The Defense Production Act is one of the most powerful weapons this administration can use to fight the invisible enemy of the virus.

When I spoke with you last week, I explained the three points of the compass that can be used to achieve DPA. The first is the mobilization of the industrial base. This can involve things like repurposing, say, a distiller, like Pernod Ricard, from liquor to hand sanitizer. It may also involve an expansion of production, meaning Honeywell, which makes N95 masks, opened a new factory in Smithfield, Rhode Island. Regarding the second cardinal point, the allocation of resources, we have two questions. If you look at the manufacturer itself, what we want to make sure is that the supply chain, which can span seven levels, has enough components so that we can make what we need.

And then once it's done, you also need to make sure it gets to the right people. And then the third point of the compass, which addresses what you're talking about, is basically "getting them," I call it, hoarding critical or threatened material. Let me explain what the President did today in terms of strong action and what we have done with the DPA on those three points. The first order President Trump signed was strong and swift. It was GM's order, which ordered GM to make ventilators in Kokomo, Indiana, in the Trump era, that is, "as quickly as possible." As the president mentioned, today he spoke with Mary Barra, CEO of GM.

This is moving forward at the same time as the Ford project is moving forward in Rawsonville, Michigan. And I've issued a "Ford v Ferrari" challenge to those two companies: This is Ford versus GM. Let's see who gets those fans out first. Now, the second cardinal point, which these two orders address today, is this question of resource allocation. The ventilator companies themselves expressed concern that in this rush to manufacture ventilators, pressure would be put on that supply chain. So what they asked of us and the President is to use the DPA to give this gentleman here, who is one of the strongest gentlemen in the world, in terms of enforcing things, to give him the ability to prioritize that supply. chain for those fan manufacturers.

And he will do things like give them what's called a "DO rating" in defense procurement, which will allow them to get what they need. Now, the second order, which the President signed today, has to do with the other part of the equation, which is that once they make the material, does it go to the right people? And this is a 3M order. And to be honest, we've had some issues over the last few days making sure that all the production that 3M does around the world gets back to the right places. So, what is going to happen with the signing of that order, in Trump's time, is that we are going to resolve that problem with 3M probably tomorrow, at the close of operations, because we cannot afford to lose days, hours or even minutes . in this crisis.

Now, the third part of the compass, this third point, comes to the topic of hoarding. The President was here with... he's the Commander in Chief, but we also have a sheriff in town, Attorney General Barr. And he stood here with Attorney General Barr, and Bill Barr said, "I'm going to go out and arrest them." And guess what? Three days ago, the Justice Department entered a warehouse in Jersey and took personal protective equipment. And the beauty of that... the beauty of that: not only was it seized, but within hours it was delivered to health professionals in New York and New Jersey.

That's a beautiful thing. That's a beautiful use case for DPA. Now, what will happen tomorrow is that the President will sign another order that is in process. This is interesting: there is a black market emerging, as you described, where people bid against each other. The runners enter; They're bidding and bidding on all these different PPE. It's driving up the price. And guess what? Do you know where it's going? Domestic sources here are being exported. When President Trump found out about that, he said, "That won't happen again on my watch." So tomorrow we will bring that order.

And what it's going to do is empower Customs and Border Protection, with the help of people like the Post Office and express mail shippers like UPS, to basically address that problem. So we are going to crack down ruthlessly. And I would say to the hoarders and middlemen who are trying to make money off the misery of people in this country and around the world: it has to stop. And if you have inventory, what you should do is pick up a phone and not call anyone in the entire world. You call FEMA and say, "We've got some things.

We'll give them to you at a fair price," and that's it, because those things absolutely have to stop. The Press: (Inaudible.) MR. NAVARRO: So that's... that's... wait.

hold

on. So that's... that's what we're going to be looking for. And when we hear about cases like this, we will aggressively issue order after order to crack down on them. Now, first... it's not my role to answer a bunch of questions, but let me say something else before I leave the podium. It's a story that I would love to share with you today because it illustrates again the key principles of this president and this vice president, which is to unite the full force of the federal government with the full power of private enterprise.

And just two days ago, at the White House we received an urgent SOS from the police chief of the New York Police Department. And now, because of the strain on their resources, they're in a situation where staff, like their homicide detectives, were having to go into homes and deal with COVID issues without protective equipment. Now, the beauty of this President is due to his leadership, we were able to solve that problem in two phone calls. Two phone calls. The first was for Phebe Novakovic at General Dynamics. "Phebe, can you call Tom Kennedy at Raytheon? I need them to basically pick up all the Tyvek suits they can and find any gloves they can." This president, under his leadership and his volunteer efforts, and the pride and patriotism that he talked about earlier, we delivered 4,000 Tyvek suits to the NYPD in 16 hours.

That's... that's a new record inthe Trump era. At the same time, a second phone call was made to Tara Engel of Pernod Ricard and Laura Lane of UPS. They were on the same phone call. And I said, “Tara, Laura, we have this problem: They need hand sanitizer.” Literally, within two hours, we had 50-gallon drums — 6,000 gallons of hand sanitizer on a UPS truck headed to the NYPD. And it probably came today with a promise from Pernod that they will continue to supply the NYPD throughout the course of this crisis. So this is a beautiful thing that America is joining.

We are becoming a stronger and more united nation. And I couldn't be more proud of this president, this administration, these guys here, who are doing a great job organizing the supply chain. And my promise to you is that the President will use that DPA to make sure that the American people, particularly our healthcare professionals, get the PPE, the medications and everything else we need. So let me... let me stop there. I don't think it's my place here to answer a bunch of questions. The President: No, he is doing a good job. Thank you. MISTER. NAVARRO: Thank you.

La Prensa: Mr. Navarro, what is the status of the "Buy American" executive order? The President: Go ahead. Forward. Answer: MR. NAVARRO: Sure. The President: Go ahead. MISTER. NAVARRO: Okay. The President: Come here. Come here. Come. MISTER. NAVARRO: One of the things this crisis has taught us, sir, is that we are dangerously overly dependent on a global supply chain for our medications, like penicillin; our medical supplies, such as masks; and our medical equipment, such as ventilators. Right now, as we speak, more than 50 countries have already imposed some forms of export restrictions on their country versus the rest of the world.

And what we've - what we're learning from that is that no matter how many treaties you have, no matter how many alliances, no matter how many phone calls, when the time comes, you run the risk, as a nation. , of not having what you need. And if there is any vindication of the president's "buy American, secure borders and a strong manufacturing base" philosophy, strategy and belief, it is this crisis, because it underlines everything we see there. So the "Buy American" order, which is in the works, would do a couple of things. He would simply say: not during this crisis, because we don't want to disrupt anything.

I want to be very clear about this. But in the future, once this is over, the VA, the DOD, the HHS, and this government will buy Americans the essential medications, our medical countermeasures, and the medical supplies and equipment we need. At the same time, it will be deregulated so we can get the FDA and EPA to facilitate domestic manufacturing. And then, innovate. Because the key here... the key here is to have advanced manufacturing on American soil that can outperform other countries so that we don't have to worry about competing against cheap labor, lax environmental regulations, different tax regimes and massive subsidies from foreign companies. governments that are actually directly attacking our industrial base.

So be patient with that, sir. The other priorities we have now are the DPA and what the task force is doing. But if we learn anything from this crisis, it should never be again. Never again should we have to depend on the rest of the world for our essential medicines and countermeasures. The President: And, by the way, we have also eliminated them, to be honest. We have stopped orders coming in from certain locations. And in a couple of places, we had a large order headed to Italy for some major equipment and some ventilators, and it was headed to Italy.

They placed the order a long time ago. And I said, "You have to let it go." They had an order. And he could have cut it, according to the law. I could have cut it. I said, "No, you can't do that. You have to let it go." You know, they have big problems. We had an order for Spain, and I said, "Let him go." I could have stopped it. I said, "Let it go." We will be fine. I said, "Let it go." So it works that way too. One other thing, to your question: We've often, and we've said this to governors, Mike, we've been very firm on this, if you think there's bidding going on between the federal government and the state, let us know and we'll drop it immediately. , or you abandon it and we lower the price.

Press: But the states compete with each other. The President: No, no. If we're going to bid against each other, I said we find out who he is. And they usually know it. Everybody knows. And they notify us and notify us, and we will abandon it or they will abandon it. But we have another problem: there are 151 countries, in addition to the states. There are 151 countries that have this problem. And they are ordering too. It's really a disaster. Now, soon, the hardest thing to get will be the fans because, you know, they take a while to build.

And we have a lot. We have thousands of them under construction right now. Soon they will be worth about five dollars. But right now they are very valuable. And we're going to send a lot of them. And, in fact, that's why General Motors called earlier: Mary. That's why others called two days ago. They called because they are all in production. And they'll start... they'll start arriving in a week and a half. But there will come a time when we will accumulate reserves. By the way, states should have been building up their reserves. We have almost 10,000 in our reserve.

And we've been building it and we've been supplying it. But states should be building. We are a backup. We are not an order clerk. We are a backup. And we have done an incredible job. Like, for example, who has ever heard a governor shout, "Sir, can you build us a 2,500-room hospital?" And we built it. "Can you build us four medical centers?" We build it. "Can they deliver a ship, a hospital ship, with 1,000 rooms?" And we did it. And we also did it in Los Angeles. We've been incredible, we've done an incredible job, these people. And so, and thousands of people behind them.

But we are a backup. Ideally, these hospitals would have had all this equipment. Ideally, those states should have had all this equipment, and I think they will next time. You know, you heard the case where three years ago you could have gotten thousands of ventilators at a very affordable price. And a certain state decided not to exercise that right because it wanted to build a highway or it wanted to build something else because it was a lot of money. You're talking about... I think it was a billion dollars. But you're talking about a lot of money for something that may never happen.

Because normally, with a ventilator, except in a pandemic or an epidemic, you wouldn't need anything like this. The hospitals have three ventilators (large hospitals) and they make do with them. And now they want thousands. I mean, they want thousands of ventilators. You call a governor and he says, "Sir, could you send us 40,000 ventilators?" No one has ever heard of anything like this. So, they have done a job. Let me tell you, when Secretary Mnuchin spoke, he doesn't want you to call ".com" but SBA.gov, okay? -- for application and information. Well? So it's SBA, small business, SBA.gov, okay?

If you do not mind. Yeah come on. Please. Press: Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mr. President. I want to follow up on a question from yesterday about, I think, his administration's denial of extending the Obamacare special enrollment period in the wake of this pandemic. In his own words, Vice President Pence did not respond for five minutes, but people facing this pandemic (illness and worse) most experts say having health care is critical to the health and financial well-being of our nation. The President: Correct. The Press: Can you assure Americans tonight that you will reopen the Obamacare marketplace so they can be covered in this time of mixed health?

The President: Well, we are doing better than that. The press: -- and the financial crisis? The President: Yes. No, I understand the question. And we're doing better than that. We're going to try to get a cash payment for people. And we're working on the mechanics of that with the legislature. So we're going to try to get them a cash payment because just opening it up doesn't help that much. So let's figure it out. So we're going to try to get that certain group of people, a certain group of people, a cash payment. Forward. Press: I really want to ask you about the masks, but I also wanted to follow up on a couple of outstanding issues.

Regarding the previous question about bidding, what happens when states compete with each other in these markets? The President: Well, they have that and they have to solve it. What they should have done is done: long before this pandemic hit, they should have been on the open market just buying. There was no competition. You could have made a great price. States have to supply themselves. It's like one of those things. They waited. They didn't want to spend the money because they thought this would never happen. And their shelves, in some cases, were empty. And, by the way, in some cases they were not.

They were very well cared for. They did a good job. But in some cases, their shelves were empty. So the best they can do is when times normalize, and hopefully they will soon, and in fact, there will be a lot of leftover material because there is a lot being made right now in terms of protective equipment. protective suits. A lot is being done. In six months it will be sold at the correct price. They have to prepare for next time. But we are doing it. And the Admiral has done a fantastic job. Senator Schumer wrote a letter today and he says, "They should put a military man in charge." I said, "Well, Chuck, if you knew a little more, we have one of the most respected people in the military: the admiral." This is what he also does, very professionally.

And he is in charge. But Chuck didn't know that. Well. Jeff, please. The Press: Mr. President, you tweeted this morning about your call with MBS of Saudi Arabia. The President: Yes. Press: Some people have said that the figures you cited (between 10 million and 15 million barrels per day) are not what they agree with. Can you be more specific about what exactly they told us? The President: I don't know what they are accepting. I think they could agree on more than that. Look, Russia... Russia... The press: Did he tell you that, sir? The President: Yes. He actually said that.

Russia spoke of 10 million barrels. Russia and Saudi Arabia are fighting over this. And as everyone knows, it's really killing an industry; seriously harming Russia, seriously harming Saudi Arabia. I said, "This is easy." It should be easy. And it can be 10 and it can be more than that. In fact, they told me it could be 10. As I told someone before, it could be 10 and it could be more than that. Maybe it's 15. Maybe it goes up to 15. It could go up to 15. And, you know, there's a tremendous oversupply right now. That industry was oversupplied before the virus. And when the virus hit, they lost 35 to 40 percent of the world.

And there is something incredible: now you can't get a boat. Each ship is loaded to the brim and is somewhere in the ocean. They are storage tanks. They're not even boats; They are storage tanks. So it would be great for Russia and it would be great for Saudi Arabia. I hope they reach that agreement, but that's what they told me, they said... Press: (Inaudible) 15 million is... The President:... they said it is... Press: enough to address the problems of excess supply? The President: Well, I guess I hope it's soon. I guess I hope they announce something soon.

Now, can a deal be broken? Can something happen where it doesn't happen? I guess. In which case there is another alternative. But I prefer not to see that other alternative. I hope they can reach an agreement. Press: What do you mean when you say "alternative"? The President: They both want... I think they both want to reach an agreement. And they are both intelligent. They love their countries. They want to reach an agreement. It's good, but it's also good for the world if they do it because it saves an industry. The Press: Mr. President. The President: Yes, please.

Forward. Forward, back, please. Press: What do you understand by "cash payments"? The President: I'll leave it to Mike, because we looked at this very specifically. And I'll let you talk about it, Mike, because you responded last time. THE VICE PRESIDENT: Correct. Thank you, Mr. President. As I said yesterday, the President has made it a priority to ensure that no American has to worry about the cost of coronavirus testing. And we've been working every day to make sure Americans don't have to worry about the cost of treatment. And at this point, the White House Coronavirus Task Force is working on a proposal for the President to use some of the $100 billion that we are making available to hospitals to compensate hospitals directly for any coronavirus treatment. the coronavirus that they provide to uninsured Americans.

We're working on the details of that. The president will make a final decision. Tomorrow we expect an announcement. But the president hasmade very clear: We don't want Americans to worry about the cost of getting a test or the cost of getting treatment. And we have expanded coverage through Medicaid. We have expanded coverage through Medicare. Health insurance companies across the country, including Blue Cross, announced today that all of their

members

will be waiving all co-pays for coronavirus treatment. But for those approximately 30 million uninsured Americans, the President has directed the Coronavirus Task Force to find a way to make sure they know that we will find a way to pay for their coronavirus treatment.

And the President will address that and announce it tomorrow. The Press: Mr. President. The President: Go ahead. Press: --a point of clarification and then a follow-up question. Yesterday she said she spoke with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis before he issued his stay-at-home order. Did you advise him to issue that order? The President: No, but I spoke to him about it. And he wants to do what's right for the people of Florida. He has been a great governor. He can be seen just because of the popularity of him, which is extraordinary. We are proud of him. He has done a fantastic job and made the decision.

But we talked before he made the decision, yes. The press: And he had also said that he is considering putting people suspected of having coronavirus, or who tested positive, in isolation centers, and that he would potentially use them. The President: I have not done that. he listened. No, I haven't heard that. Press: So he hasn't consulted with you? The President: I haven't heard that. Yes please. Press: Thank you, Mr. President. Ebony Bowden of the New York Post. A few hours ago, Mayor de Blasio, the mayor of New York, said that New Yorkers who leave their homes should wear masks.

They must also wear masks when around other people. Are you considering that type of recommendation at the federal level? And if so, how would you prevent a flood of N95 masks? The President: Well, I think they are going to publish regulations on this. And if people want to comply with them, frankly, I don't think it's mandatory, because some people don't want to do it. But if people wanted to, for example, in masks, if people wanted to wear them, they could. If people wanted to wear scarves, which they have (many people do), they can. In many cases, the scarf is better;

It is thicker. I mean you can, if you want, depending on the material, it's thicker. But they can do it if they want. Now a recommendation is coming out. We'll see what that recommendation is, but... Press: Is that a CDC recommendation, sir? The President: But I will say one thing: right now they can decide for themselves. Press: Would that be at the national level? And can I also ask... The President: At the national level. The press: at the national level. The president: Yes. The press: -- not just for the critical points. And then, I think this is what's best for Dr.

Birx, but we've heard some different guidance here. The WHO and even the Surgeon General have talked about several studies showing that masks, in addition to maybe not even being useful in protecting people, can actually increase disease rates because people touch the masks and then touch themselves. to themselves. The President: Sure. La Prensa: Can you tell us a little about the evolution of... The President: Very well, maybe I will ask you... La Prensa: What do you think about it? The President: - Dr. Birx. And you could also mention that other point. Yes, thanks. Dr. Birx: No, no, thank you.

I hope that in today's conference you learned that we are triangulating the data that we know from case numbers, testing numbers, and supply chain numbers to create an integrated picture that allows us to truly support hospitals in your needs. And I think that level of granularity is really critical. Second, I just want to point out that we really applaud the governors who are considering a statewide or metro-wide approach. And what do I mean by that? The United States, coming into this, had about 160,000 ventilators nationwide and another 60 to 70,000 anesthesia machines. That's about five times what most European countries have.

But it is a question of distribution according to need. And I really applaud the governors who are uniting their public hospitals with their more private hospitals and their visibility throughout the state. Because what we were trying to talk about yesterday is that every state, every county is different. And that's why we're looking at it at that level of granularity. And as we move forward in this epidemic, the needs must adapt to those counties and, frankly, to those hospitals. I mean, there's a reason the President and Mr. Kushner have been very involved in figuring out what public hospitals need.

Why is that? Because public hospitals sometimes have the weakest supply chain because they are often not as attractive to private sector distributors or they may be too busy serving patient needs to really stay on top of their order forms and their supply chains. So really listening to the community that's on the front lines of this fight and getting feedback from those specific communities, no matter where they are, and listening to the frontline healthcare workers, because it's their reality that's important to all of us. , whether it's the mayor, the governor or the federal government. And if they say they need something, we have to work together to provide it.

And that's what you're seeing with this triangulation. Every county will go through this differently, and that allows us to address these vital issues that protect frontline healthcare workers and protect patients, through ventilators, to make sure the supply chain is aligned with the need as it occurs. Now, you have to have very good data to be willing to work at that level of granularity. And that's what we've been working on to really develop that level of granularity to ensure that. So I just wanted to say one more thing about testing, just to give you the final data on what we're seeing.

We thank the groups who are reporting; not everyone is reporting yet. And this is part of our attempt to understand at a very granular level. We have two states that have 35 percent positive, and they are New York and New Jersey. This confirms very clearly that this is a very clear and important conflict zone. Louisiana, however, has 26 percent of its tests positive. Michigan, Connecticut, Indiana, Georgia, Illinois (so that should tell you where the next hot spots are coming from) are all 15 percent positive. And then Colorado, D.C., Rhode Island and Massachusetts have 13 percent. There are a significant number of states that are still below 10 percent: all the ones I didn't mention.

California and Washington are holding steady at an 8 percent rate. So what we're finally seeing is that testing is improving: more testing is being done; There is still a high level of negatives, in states without critical points, which allows them to do more surveillance and containment. And then prioritize this new rapid testing kit in those areas that may not have the same access: to Indigenous Health Services and to public health institutions and to state and public health laboratories so that they can use it and start forward by leaning towards surveillance. Now, we know that there are people waiting for testing, and they are waiting for testing because when these areas became very... when they got to the log curve, we prioritized people whose decisions... where the testing decision would be critical to their care. .

And that's why we prioritized hospitals and nurses, doctors and frontline workers. The President: Good. Dr. Birx: That means if you went through a drive-thru or your doctor, you could have that delay. So, the masks. So what I tried to show you is how we use data in a very granular way. And so there's... there's experiential data. When we look at communities they have often used masks, generally for personal protection, when they themselves are sick and have worn their mask in public. And we have analyzed the rate of this COVID-19 in those populations. And then we're looking at the scientific evidence to put those two pieces together.

But let me say one thing: the most important thing is social distancing and washing your hands. And we don't want people to have an artificial sense of protection because they're behind a mask. Because if they touch things, remember, your eyes are not on the masks. So if you touch things and then touch your eyes, you are exposing yourself in the same way. So we don't want people to think, "Oh, I'm wearing a mask. I'm protected and I'm protecting others." You may be protecting others, but don't give yourself a false sense of security that that mask is exclusively protecting you from getting infected, because there are other ways you can get infected due to the number of asymptomatic and mild cases there are. .

And this worries us and that is why the debate about the mask continues. Because we don't want, when we're trying to send a signal that every person in this country needs to stay six feet away from everyone, that they need to constantly wash their hands and know where they are, send a signal that we think a mask is equivalent to those parts. So when the notice comes out, it will be an additional piece if it comes out, rather than saying, "This is a substitute for..." And we want to make sure everyone understands that it's not a substitute. the presidential directives that have already come out, and be absolutely clear about it.

Press: Dr. Birx, can I request a follow-up on testing please? The President: Go ahead. La Prensa: Dr. Birx, we are seeing a lot of evidence that experts say that a large number of these tests could be producing false false negatives. So... Dr. Birx: From the Roche and Abbott tests? The press: That up to one in three tests could give false negatives. And I was wondering... maybe you could explain or... Dr. Birx: That would be almost impossible if... La Prensa:... told a little bit about the science. Dr. Birx: -- having 35 percent positive. You... if that were true, you would be 100 percent positive.

Press: Are you worried about the underlying data? Dr. Birx: ...or 66 percent positive. So what I can tell you is that the number of positive tests matches very closely with the number of diagnosed cases. So no... I'll look into it. I look at Roche and Abbott's numbers every night. They are trending in exactly the same way. And that's important when validating data to actually validate: "This same site?"; In other words, I'm looking through the test sites to see if there are any consistencies. Is there any anomaly? To make sure you just asked very specifically. So I'll go back and look at it more closely.

I haven't seen that kind of anomaly. This is the same platform that is used across the country, and that is a range of what I reported: 3 percent positivity up to 35 percent positivity. And that range also reflects what we are seeing with the hotspots and the number of cases. And frankly, I mean, we hate to talk about it, but it also relates to hospitalizations regardless of diagnosis and the mortality that we're seeing. Then all those pieces are validated together. Press: There's no concern that people might get a false sense of security or that we're not seeing all the data here going forward...and who is?

Dr. Birx: Well, I tell you, I'm still missing 50 percent of the data in the reports. I have 660 tests reported; we have made 1.3 million. So there are, and could be those sites, so we need to see them all, the bill says that they need to be reported. We are still not getting 100 percent testing. Press: Dr. Birx, regarding the test, taking the president's sample took one minute and the results were reported in 15 minutes. I know you're the president of the United States, but when will everyone be able to get a test that works so fast and gets results so fast?

Dr. Birx: So these are new tests and we have prioritized groups that we believe have the least access to testing now. And who do we mean by that? We are referring to the Indigenous Health Service: they are often located in remote areas; rural zones; Governors of northwestern states may not have the advantage of these high-performance machines that are often found on the east coast and in high metropolitan areas (Colorado) and then the west coast. That's why we've prioritized the 15-minute presidential test to Indigenous Health Services and public health laboratories so they can support testing in nursing homes and other areas where we believe surveillance is absolutely key.

So right now they are prioritized that way. The Vice President: It's one thousand three hundred. Dr. Birx: Yes, 1,200 of them go out that way. The press: So, is it necessary to carry out more tests of this type so that more people can do it? The President: They are being done. Dr. Birx: Yes. The Press: Okay. So, in a matter of... The President: They are moving verynumber one, number two and number three of all states. What we've discovered is that people have a lot of these requests based on the models. And what we've been trying to do at FEMA is tell the states, "Well, if you want ventilators, we need to look in your states first." Good?

So, for example, in North Jersey, they go to South Jersey and look for fans and try to relocate them to where they have their access points. The second thing we did asked them to look for alternative respirators. Dr. Birx spoke earlier about anesthesia machines and the ability to convert them into ventilators. That's why we're asking people to be resourceful within their states before they come to the federal government. The third thing we've been asking states is to provide what their daily utilization rates are. So everyone asks for everything. A congressman received a call from the local hospital saying, "I need 250 ventilators." And he said, "Well, you don't have one COVID patient in four counties, why do you want 250 ventilators?" And he says, "Well, we just want to be safe.

We're very nervous right now." So what you have across the country is that a lot of people are asking for things that they don't necessarily need right now. And the job of FEMA and Admiral Polowczyk has been to try to make sure that we get real data from the cities, from the states, so that we can make real-time allocation decisions based on the data. And right now, what's happening is that many different cities and states are providing FEMA with that information. We are talking to them daily. They are updating that information daily. And that allows the federal government to make much more informed decisions about where to place ventilators.

There is also a situation where in some states, FEMA allocated ventilators to the states. And there are cases where, in the cities, they are running out, but the state still has reserves. And the notion of the federal arsenal was that it was supposed to be our arsenal; They are not supposed to be state reserves that they then use. So we encourage states to make sure they assess the needs, get the data on their local situations, and then try to fill them with the supplies we've provided. Same with masks. So the N95 mask is actually an item that was not used that often in the medical profession before.

It was mainly used for diseases. So, talking to many doctors and hospital administrators, they would say that they actually used a very low percentage of N95 masks. What the president and vice president were able to do with Congress was get the exemption so they could expand the pool because a lot of the masks were used to the construction industries. There is now a much larger stock of masks in the country. There was an arsenal. They distributed it based on where they anticipated much of the need would go. But a lot of that is still stuck in the states and hasn't gotten to the right places within the states.

So I would just encourage you, when you have governors who say the federal government hasn't given them what they need, I would urge you to ask them, "Well, have you looked within your state to do Are you sure you haven't been able to find the resources?" Unlike other countries, much of the medical system in the United States is private, not public, controlled by the government. So you have to get the data of what's in your state, look at it that way, and then make sure you're resourceful about doing it. And also ask them what their utilization rate is because if a governor orders more ventilators and if the federal government sends them more than they need, the goal here is not to have ventilators in a warehouse where another state has them or has people who need them.

So what we're trying to do is make informed, data-driven decisions, both on ventilators and masks and any other supplies we can get our hands on, to make sure they get to the people who need them. Press: I'm wondering if you could weigh in on reports, which I'm sure you're aware of, in which anonymous White House officials have described your role as running a shadow task force. How do you describe your role? How do you describe the qualifications you bring to your position? Mr. Kushner: Yes. I would just say very simply: Look, the president asked the vice president to lead the task force.

The vice president asked me to help him. I have actually been serving under the direction of the Vice President and he has asked me to get involved in different projects. The vice president and I talk probably sometimes 5 to 10 times a day. But everything I'm doing is under the direction of the vice president. If some people are talking to you, that means they probably aren't informed about what's going on. But I can assure you that I talk to Dr. Birx, Dr. Fauci, the Vice President and the President multiple times a day to make sure that I am achieving and focusing on the goals that the Vice President considers priorities. .

The Press: Jared, a fan follow-up. The President: Or they don't exist. La Prensa: -- and the National Reserve. The President: Or the sources do not exist. They are fake people, okay? There are many fake sources out there. They do not exist. I read about this; I've been reading it for a long time. Many of them are fake sources. They do not exist. Forward. Please. Press: Thank you, Mr. President. Jared, what triggers sending a National Stockpile ventilator to a state? In other words, how sick does someone have to be to get one of these national ventilators? Mr.

Kushner: Well, that's not the issue we're on, that's not the criteria. Basically, the states submit the applications and give us their utilization, their utilization percentages. So it's a very simple formula. States should know how many ventilators they have in their states. And by the way, some governors or senators you talk to don't know what's in their state. You know, I'll talk to some governors and they'll know how many ventilators they have in their state because that's the first thing a good administrator will do. What many voters are seeing now is that when you elect someone to be mayor, governor or president, you are trying to think about who will be a competent administrator during the time of crisis.

We are in a time of crisis and we are seeing that some people are better managers than others. So what I would say is the way the federal government is trying to allocate is by trying to make sure that, A, you have your data, right? Don't ask us for things when you know that, when you don't know what you have in your own state just because you're afraid, you asked your medical professionals and they don't know. You have to take inventory of what you have in your own state and then you have to be able to demonstrate that there is a real need.

So we prepositioned a lot of things because most governors, from the beginning, didn't know what they needed. But FEMA has a joint command with Admiral Polowczyk, Admiral Giroir and Pete Gaynor, where every two hours, when your applications come in, they evaluate them and everyone votes on the application. And then, if there is something that they want to elevate to the working group, they take it to the vice president to make a recommendation. The Vice President: And, Jared, if I may, I could ask Deborah to do this: We are literally tracking hospitalization cases on a daily basis, engaging with governors and health systems, and that informs our supply chain decisions.

Dr. Birx: Yes, really... I want to thank the health commissioners and everyone who has been submitting hospital data. And I think it's really critical and important for all of us. New York City has been providing information, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and certainly Louisiana, on these hotspots. And that allows us to... we can see where they are with the increasing number of cases, where they are on their curve, what can be predicted and really ensure that people get what they need when they need it. And that's why I think a lot of the current governors and health commissioners have said, "I had to use 20" - "I'm intubating 20 people a day now.

I have enough for the next three days. If that doubles... "We're seeing our hospitalization rates stabilize, but we still think there will be many more in the coming days." That's the information they then translate into providing the ventilators. So when you see the ventilator numbers go down, they do. at 150 and 200. Because I think, from the beginning, we sent a big bolus and then not all of them, even today, have been fully utilized And that's why we want to make sure that every state and every access point can have the security. that ventilators are available to them as they move through the curve.

And I think, to date, we've been able to do that. And I think that's what's important to me, that people have what they need when they need it. And, to date, people who have needed ventilators have been able to get them. And I think that's our goal with the governors and the mayor is to make sure that that continues to happen. But that means we all have to work together. And I think that's what's really important in recent weeks: people are no longer making generic requests. They make data-driven requests because they know exactly what is happening in their hospitals.

La Prensa: Dr. Birx, when he was here a moment ago, he talked about the curve and what he's seeing, and he's concerned about people not respecting social distancing guidelines. I mean, you seemed, in your voice, to be quite concerned about that. Has the curve changed enough at this point where 100,000 to 240,000 people are likely to die? Has that moved up? Dr. Birx: No. It's just when I look at what, so we're at week 2.2 of our guidelines. And I guess what I expected when the President put out guidelines that said, "Don't go to bars. Don't be in groups of more than 10 people," when we said that, more than 16 days ago, that that was serious.

And then you could see what happened subsequently and you could see the number of people who have been infected since then. Because the people we see infected today and in hospitals today became infected after the guidelines were released. So that's what we're worried about, and we're worried that we're not... we're still in this. And that's why the President extended it for 30 days. But we have to get out of this. We have to start seeing this. The President: But, Deborah, aren't you just referring to a few states? Because many of those states are completely flat. I mean, so...

Dr. Birx: Yes. The President: So, it's hard to get... it's hard to be... Dr. Birx: Yes. There are states that are totally flat. But, you know, everything that changes the curve is a new Detroit, a new Chicago, a new New Orleans, a new Colorado. Those change the curves because they suddenly increase with the number of new cases. Because you have a certain projection of new cases and then another completely different city arrives, where they are in their logarithmic phase. So those that I talked about that had positive results greater than 13 percent, all of those, all of those states or all of those counties are in log phase.

That means there are a lot of counties that aren't, and we're really excited about the counties that have been testing and are still pretty flat. And hopefully, maybe on Sunday or something like that, or sometime this weekend, we can go over all the states and the curves again so you can see where, you know, California and Washington are still holding steady. But we are watching very carefully because we see that we can go from this to this very quickly. So what... this should no longer happen in new places if people maintain social distancing, wash their hands, and don't gather in large groups of more than 10 people.

The President: Again, I look at the charts all the time. . Dr. Birx: Yes, that's right. The President: And he has many, many. Dr. Birx: Yes. The President: - Flatliners. I call them "flat line". I am amazed by them. And you have a couple that are up. It's hard to blame flat-liners for not doing a good job. Dr. Birx: No, no. I do not want to say that. No I do not. Thank my Lord. I don't want to... in fact, I want to praise the states for that... and I think I want to be able to call them and show them their charts so they can see them.

They have had small and constant cases. They are testing and they are doing a lot of testing. And their percentage of positive results is below 5 percent. I mean, we have a whole group of states that are testing and their positivity rate is less than 5 percent. We know what it looks like on the logarithmic curve. You're at 13 percent, then 15 percent, then 26 percent, then 35 percent. That's what we're trying to prevent. And it is the metropolitan areas that are absolutely crucial in this. So, if you are in a metropolitan area or small city, make sure all your friends and family follow the guidelines.

That's the best we can do. The President: No, because I saw those pens five minutes ago. They were so... they were excited. And the fact is that yes, we compare them with Italy. A place. But we have many places that are... Dr.Birx: Yes. The President: -- you are really doing very well. And I think that's what Deborah meant. She didn't mean all of them. So when you write your story tomorrow, maybe you'll write it correctly. She was talking about a state. And another state, you know, is going through tough times. It is... and they are closely associated.

And by the way, people are doing a very good job, including the people who live there. But when Deborah talked about Italy, she talked about one, and then the other was lower. And then you have mostly states that have been amazing. So she wasn't talking about the average of everything; She was talking about an individual State that, in my opinion, is still better than Italy. Italy is going through a difficult time. By the way, Spain is having a bad time. France is going through a difficult time. But our states, generally speaking, are like many different countries.

We have... many of those countries are doing phenomenal work. They are really flat. And I think that's what you meant. Dr. Birx: Thank you, sir. The President: I don't know. I don't want to... I don't want to talk... but I thought... that's what I understood he meant. Yes please. Press: Can I ask a question about this? Because the coronavirus is present in all 50 states. You said before that... when you implored mayors and governors to take this seriously, you said, "Once it shows up, mitigation efforts are too late." So how does that square with the notion that some states are doing well?

I mean, the virus doesn't comply with state law. The President: Because some states are left in better conditions. They don't touch each other. They are not, whatever it is. They are not going to come out. They are not in groups. And some states are probably not as good, or for some reason. Or they also live much closer. You know, New York is very dense. And, you know, California is pretty dense too. And so far they have a very good track record. We hope it doesn't rise, but it is very flat. We have states that are doing incredibly well.

I mean, when I looked at some of them, I looked at some states that I thought maybe wouldn't have done as well, and they're really stagnant. I hope they continue like this. I hope they continue like this. Press: Isn't that the point, Mr. President? The President: Say it, Jeff. The Press: Sir, isn't that the point, that you want those states to remain stable? The President: I love you... yes, that's what I'm saying. The Press: I mean, it seems like you... The President: No, no, no. But when Deborah mentioned about Italy and our country, she wasn't referring to our country; she was referring to a state.

The press: But she is encouraging people to better follow these social distancing measures. That's what I'm understanding. The President: Okay. As I understand it, I'm going to let her say it. But I think everyone should be excited about the way most states are doing it. Delighted. Press: I don't think she... is that what you meant? The President: The flat line states, the flat line states, states that have almost no bumps. I mean, I would think. Now, then you have others where, for some reason, they are higher. That is different. But you can't condemn people who live in a flat situation with people who live in a place where there is a big obstacle or a bigger obstacle or more like Italy, where they have some very unique problems.

To be fair to Italy, they have some very unique problems. But if you want to zoom in and... The Press: So how many flat lines do we have? The President: Many of them. Press: And how many do we have? How many? How many do we have? Dr. Birx: So why don't I bring you the whole deck again and we break down the states so you can see them? The Vice President: We will do it tomorrow. Dr. Birx: Because you really have to look at each state separately. That's why I started by saying that there are states where you've heard me talk about how worried I was.

These are states that before the guidelines were released or right after the guidelines were released (I mean, you can look up) it's on the website if you go to Healthdata.org about when the governors clarified the shutdown of their states, like in terms of social distancing, hand washing, bars, takeaways. And you can align that with presidential guidelines. And not all states, when the presidential guidelines came out, followed them immediately. Not all states did so. There are states that may have also obtained many more seeds from outside communities. That's certainly one of the problems facing New York and New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode 3225 02:03:02,708 -- 02:03:01,340 Island.

The virus came from multiple places to those states. It was not detected from the beginning and they have a very logarithmic curve. What I'm saying is: even one of those curves in a county, in a city, is one curve too many. That's why I'm passionate about everyone following the guidelines because of atypical curves. Maybe that was a better way to put it. The President: Yes. That's exactly... Dr. Birx: The outlier... The President: I think it's perfect. Dr. Birx: -- in specific counties, it's making sure that doesn't happen anywhere else. The Press: So, would you feel better if every state issued a stay-at-home order?

Would you feel better? Dr. Birx: Well, I think most states have. I think so... one death from this is too many. In other words, I come out of epidemics and pandemics. We know what to do. I know we don't have a vaccine. And I know that we don't have a therapy. But we know what can be done, and others are doing it, and most people in America are doing it. It's our communities, it's all Americans that have to make these changes, and I know they're really difficult. And I know it's hard to remember. I mean, I have to tell myself every day, because I'm surrounded by very important people, to never touch anything.

And now I'm like paranoid about touching things. I'm sure all of you are too. I mean, we've gotten to the point where we don't go to your places at Pebble Beach, we go to the one outside because, I mean, you're trying to protect your reporters. I mean, I get it. We are all trying to protect each other and we all have to adapt to this new reality we find ourselves in now. And I think everyone is trying very hard, and I just ask that you try very, very hard over these next 28 days because it will make a huge difference.

We see that evidence. And so it's like having a vaccine or a treatment because we know what works and we're asking everyone to apply what works. And I know it takes incredible attention to detail because you know the moment you forget or do something, you're like, "Oh my God, I should have never done that." And that is the level of care that is needed. The press: If covering our faces could help us achieve this and guidelines are emerging. The President: I just want to say: look, many states have started low and slow, and then stayed at a good level.

Some really held their own at a high level. Some, Louisiana, for example: it was low and slow and they looked great. I was looking at it because, you know, it's kind of a place where people go during Mardi Gras, which, in a way, is an interesting point, because after Mardi Gras, it was down, and then all of a sudden, went up. very fast. And now it's one of our real hot spots, right? In certain areas of Michigan, like Detroit, they seemed to be doing pretty well, and then all of a sudden it went up. Then you have that too.

But I'll tell you one thing: We have states that have been really incredible in the fact that they've stayed so... so low. They haven't...they haven't seen the lump and I hope they don't. I hope you don't. And there are a couple that, for many different reasons, and it's no one's fault, but they are at a higher level. But very few. I think, Deborah... I mean, I can say: I think most people have followed the presidential election... you can call them whatever you want. I would never use the word "dicta" because if I used that word, I would be in big trouble.

In fact, you'll get me in trouble just for mentioning it. Well? But we make a recommendation. And I think they've done a good job, and maybe they started a little later, but maybe they're also more difficult states. But I think, on average, we've done really phenomenally as a country. I think we have done phenomenal. Because when you looked at that graph the other day, I don't know if you saw it; I guess you saw it. Everyone in the world saw it. But if you look at all those lines at the bottom, one color after another, all different, representing different states, it's all crammed together at the bottom.

And then there were two that were upstairs. But there were... I don't know, almost all of them were at a low level. Very low. So there were a lot of people listening. And I just did it. I want to be clear because I don't need headlines tomorrow, and neither does the country, because I don't want this country to work so hard and then have a press that, in this case, may misunderstand. something. Because maybe, maybe, when I heard it, I was also surprised at first, but I understood what Deborah meant. The Press: Mr. President. La Prensa: Can you clarify something else again?

The President: But I think it is very important, because I think it is very important that you be precise. Another thing. Just something quick. So what I've found is that when governors call me... I mean, I think in every case, they've always been very kind. So nice. And I've seen and heard them say, "Thank you very much. You've done a great job." "Fantastic job," in one case. "Thank you thank you thank you." Then I'll see the governor, usually from the opposing party. In almost all cases, except maybe one, but in almost all cases they are very generous, very kind.

They thank me. Everything's fine. We are doing a great job. And then I'll see them on television and as a different person. And I realized that there are some people, because of politics, who if they say, "We want 1,000 ventilators," and I say, "No, Jim, I want to give you 5,000 ventilators," they'll say, "Thank you. You're the best president I've ever had." has ever existed." And then I see them quoted in a newspaper or on a show and they say, "The president didn't help me. I'm very disappointed in the president." And we have a lot of that. They are very happy when they talk to me and then I see them.

But there are some people who, if they asked for 500 of something and I gave them 5,000, they would say... you'll say, "How's the president?" "Well, we don't like work." In my opinion, they're very nice, but sometimes... I guess they assume I'm not looking at them or something, but I watch them very closely. Yes please. The Press: Mr. President, an especially vulnerable population is the prison population, and that is... especially with Jared here. He was wondering if he could address what the federal government is doing to protect inmates. The President: Well, it's actually vulnerable because they are so close together.

I... I can't tell you about the age, but there are a lot of young people in prison. Some people, some states, I haven't done it at all, but some states are allowing people to get out of prison. Some people are coming out who are very serious criminals, in some states. And I do not like that. I don't like. But in certain cases it's a city or state thing, as you know. I think maybe Philadelphia comes to mind. Then we'll see. We have to see what is happening. And we don't like it. People do not like. And we're looking into whether I have the right to stop it in some cases, okay?

La Prensa: Mr. President, 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment last week. We haven't heard you talk much today about what they're going through. So what is... The President: Oh, I think it's... The Press: --your message to them? And... The President: I think they're going through... I think it's terrible. Look, four weeks ago we had the largest economy in the history of the world. The largest in the world, the largest in the history of the world. We had the most jobs in the history of the United States. Almost 160 million jobs, right? And then one day, I get a call from Deborah, who is fantastic, and from Dr.

Fauci. And he said and she said, "We have a problem." I said, "What's the problem?" And they said, "Maybe we have to close it." I said, "Close what?" They said, "Shut down the country." And I said, "What's that all about?" And we discuss it today, and probably not since 1917; We came to that conclusion and she is a fantastic person, a brilliant person, and that's what she knows. I said, "Has it ever been this bad?" And I think I can represent that you said "no." And in part, it is a contagion. It's so contagious. It's like if you sneeze, I'll probably get it.

Who has heard of something like this? Well? And this very talented reporter is retiring. Well? He's out of here. I do not blame you. But it's a very contagious thing and we've probably never seen anything like it in terms of that. But 1917... that was over 100 years ago, but that was... you know, it's been written about many, many times. It was horrible, whether it was 75 or 100 million people, I've heard 50 to 75, I've heard 75 to 100, but it was tens of millions of people. Now we have the advantage of communication. This could have been just as bad. I mean, here we can read on the Internet.

We can see what to do. We can have these meetings; They can watch it on television, which they do. Many people arelooking. Many people are watching. And they're like, "Wow, social distancing." But in 1917 they didn't have that option. You know, they didn't know what to do. They just noticed that people were dying everywhere. Think about it: between 75 and 100 million people died. Many people in this country died. It's always, for me, a big question: How come more people didn't die in this country? And they say that it actually started in this country and reached Europe. I mean, we lost a lot of people, but relatively, we lost very few compared to Europe.

So this is a terrible thing that happened. And what's happening now with people and jobs... think about the position I'm in. We have all built together, all of us (not me, all of us) the greatest economy in history. And suddenly people arrive that we respect and know. And here's the thing: they were right. Everyone questioned it for a while. Not all, but a good part questioned it. They said, "Let's keep it open. Let's put it together." If we did that, you saw the other graph. And whether true, almost true, or maybe not true enough, the figure was that 2.2 million people would have died.

In a short time, 2.2 million people would have died. In fact, the graph could have been even shorter. I've always noticed that that horrible thing, where it goes up, it actually goes down a little faster. It could have ended faster and 2.2 million people would have been lost. Then they come and say, "We have to shut down the country." And I say, "Do you know what that does to this, to the structure of this country, to the people who had great jobs, a great family, and didn't have money problems?" Their 401(k): everything is perfect, and all of a sudden, they go from that to no job in a day.

They didn't even think about it. And then you see 6 million people unemployed. Unemployment figures are published and 6 million people are seen. And it is an artificial closure. It's not like we have a massive recession or anything worse. It's artificial because we turn it off. Think about everything we are doing. We're saying, "Don't go to work and we'll pay you." Everything is backwards. It was always, "Go to work and make a lot of money and do it well, and...the American dream." Because of a hidden enemy, we say, "Don't go to work and we will pay you." Look at the money: $2 trillion.

And we'll probably do more. I think infrastructure would be a fantastic thing. Do you want to recover the restaurants? You give deductibility. You understand what that is. You give deductibility for the businesses that go to and use the restaurants. Restaurants will be bigger and better than before. You know, people don't know: a lot of restaurants closed when they ended deductibility. And then they started doing well, but they had fewer restaurants. But the rise of restaurants was when they had deductibility, where corporations could use them. So... and entertainment. That was a great thing. But they closed it and then closed it again.

And it wasn't the same. But if you want them back, do it. But infrastructure: we now borrow our money at zero. You know, if we paid 5 percent, 4 percent, 3 percent, it would be a different game. We are borrowing, we can borrow long term for zero, literally zero; You know it, because we are considered the safe investment. All over the world they want money in the United States. That's where they want the money. So I know better than anyone. I just... I know what they're going through and it's horrible. But do you know what I want to do?

I want to be able to recover them quickly. When this is over, it will be a day that we are going to celebrate, because everyone is going to go to work and I think we are going to have boom times. I think it's going to be great. And we have learned a lot. We have learned about borders. We have learned about dependence on other countries. We have learned a lot, so much that I think we really have the opportunity to be bigger, better and stronger. And I think it will come back very quickly, but first we have to defeat this enemy.

So see you tomorrow. Thank you so much. Thank you.