AFP/Getty Images President Donald Trump said Sunday he’s activated the National Guard to help respond to the coronavirus outbreak in California, New York and Washington.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said the Federal Emergency Management Agency would pay for the operations.
The president said supplies, including respirators, N95 masks and gloves, would be deployed to states in the next 48 hours.
Governors, including New York’s Andrew Cuomo, have criticized Trump’s response to the growing outbreak.
“If we don’t get the equipment, we could lose lives that we could otherwise save,” the Democrat said Sunday. “They need these materials now, and only the federal government can make that happen.”
Trump told reporters he’d spoken with the governors of the three states on Sunday and described his conversation with Cuomo as “great.” Trump has approved disaster declarations for New York and Washington and said he would approve one for California as soon as Sunday night.
Trump spoke shortly before a Senate vote to move forward with a $1.8 trillion economic stimulus failed as Democrats argued it was geared more toward Wall Street than Main Street.
On Sunday, Utah Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney said they were self-quarantining after being exposed to Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has tested positive for COVID-19. Trump told reporters he backs remote voting, which congressional leaders have resisted.
U.S. stock futures YM00, -4.32% plunged at the open late Sunday, hitting a 5% limit down, as the Senate vote was ongoing.
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