A group of House Democrats are attempting to halt President Donald Trump from declaring a return to normal life in the U.S. too soon, which they fear would undermine national efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
The Trump administration last week indicated it hopes to reopen the economy as early as May 1. But the president’s Democratic opponents — along with public health experts — have argued that easing the national lockdown measures anytime soon would lead to a spike in new cases.
Several senior Democrats are now calling on Congress to create a national plan that decides when to reopen businesses and schools in consultation with agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services and state governments, not just the president’s bully pulpit. And after the reopening, it would also require adequate testing and contact tracing to prevent a second outbreak.
"Basically we’ve been operating without a national plan and the administration just veers from one set of talking points to another without giving us a plan,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), one of the co-sponsors, said in an interview Monday.
"Our point is that we need a serious structure and process in place in order to institute a reopening that will be safe and enduring,” Raskin said, calling the president’s initial hopes to reopen the country on Easter “patently ridiculous.”
The bill — led by Raskin and Reps. Hakeem Jeffries, Donna Shalala, Anna Eshoo and Peter Welch — is the latest way that Democrats in Congress have looked to wrest at least some control from the White House, which has largely led the federal public response to the crisis.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi also criticized Trump during a private call with House Democrats on Monday afternoon, saying he was moving ahead "not based on science." Pelosi told Democrats it was up to them to speak out publicly and raise alarms about Trump's potential plan.
House and Senate lawmakers, meanwhile, remain in self-isolated back in their districts, without a method to vote or hold hearings.
The legislation would also create a federal Health Equipment Production Board, in an attempt to resolve complaints that the White House’s hands-off approach has led to a bidding war among states for much-needed medical gear.
“It is painfully clear that the combination of wishful thinking and chaotic policy choices will never end the crisis,” the lawmakers wrote in a “Dear Colleague” letter to fellow Democrats.
Democrats have feared for weeks that Trump — under pressure ahead of his reelection bid and with a worsening economy — might move too quickly to encourage people to return to work and school.
States have mostly signaled they will move at their own pace. On Monday, the governors of several hard-hit Northeastern states have announced that they will work together to draw up gradual plans for reopening. The states include New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Delaware.
Western states — California, Washington and Oregon — also announced Monday that they would collaborate on a "shared approach for reopening our economies."
But Trump has also sought to assert his authority on the matter.
The White House created a task force to lay out a plan for the national reopening.
“It is the decision of the President,” Trump tweeted on Monday about the decision of states to reopen. “With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue. A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly!”
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Senior Dems call for national plan to reopen U.S. - POLITICO
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