Maximum flexibility to use the guard against the virus without having to worry about costs or liability and freeing up state resources to protect the health and safety of the people in their state. The federal government has deployed hundreds of tons of supplies from our National Stockpile to locations with the greatest need. In order to assist in those areas, i approved the state of new yorks request for a major disaster declaration, something which Governor Cuomo has been asking for and which i agree, and we had it done in very rapid fashion. We approved this on friday evening and we are working very, very hard to get all of these things not only signed up, but completed and finished and win. The request from the state of washington for a major disaster declaration was approved just a little while ago. Went through the process, and we moved it very quickly. The request from the state of california was just received, and we will have it approved very quickly. Well be working. I told that to gavin newsom. And were working on getting that done very quickly. It will be done maybe tonight. We have large quantities of medical equipment and supplies on the way, based on all of this, to those states, including respirator respirators, surgical masks and gowns, face shields, coveralls and gloves with large quantities already delivered to washington and to new york. In addition to large quantities of supplies, i have also directed fema to supply the following four large federal medical stations with 1,000 beds for new york, eight large federal medical stations with 2,000 beds for california, and three large federal medical stations and four small federal medical stations with 1,000 beds for the state of washington. The governors know. The spliupplies en route to california and new york will be delivered within the next 48 hours. In addition, the Naval Hospital ship, the usns mercy its an incredible ship these two ships are incredible, one on the west coast, one on the east coast will be deployed to los angeles to add emergency surge medical capacity. And they have a tremendous capacity. They are really something. I will say that if you look at some of the things weve been doing, and now those numbers have gone up, and just to be a little bit more exacting weve done a president ial approval for request for major disaster declaration for the state of new york, approval of title 32 National Guard activation for the state of new york. Were providing all of this at no cost to the governor. I spoke with Governor Cuomo. Hes working hard. Were all working hard together. The relationship has really been amazing. But it also enables the governor to provide robust National Guard support to the state. And the 25 , were going to be waiving that 25 cost. Were picking up. Well be coordinating and theyll be doing something with very special people. Mission assignment of the u. S. Army corps of engineers to provide support to build out alternate care sites. Theyre doing various alternate care sites, which have now been designated by new york. Four large medical stations of 1,000 beds. These are very complex places, actually, with great equipment and great people. Strategic National Stockpile order, and this is as of a number of days ago, so far delivered to new york, and this is the 19th. We had the n95 respirators, 186,416, delivered. Weve delivered 444,000 o78 surgical masks. Many have been delivered since then. Face shields. Weve delivered 84,560 face shields. Surgical gowns, 68,944, to new york. Coveralls, 352. Gloves, 245,486. Also to new york, in terms of whats been delivered, just since then, the numbers are quite large, and we have tremendous numbers of companies also making equipment. For the state of washington, weve delivered 369,000 n95 respirators, 507,406 surgical mas masks. This is as of about three days ago. Face shields, 63,788 face shields. Surgical gowns, 107,850. Gloves, 240,376. And we have many, many things pending. Its actually not pending. Theyre being fabricated. Theyre being made. And theyre moving. Now, for washington so, we have four small federal medical stations, 250 beds. And for washington, state of washington, we have three large federal medical stations, 750 beds. And then you have, as i said, the approval of the title 32 National Guard. State of california, again, to be very precise, were going to have the approval of the title 32 National Guard activation, and were providing all of this, again, like in new york, at no cost to the governor, meaning Governor Newsom and the state, no cost to the state. It enables the governor to provide robust National Guard support to the state, so theyre going to have control of the National Guard. The federal governments sending these are incredible people that are being sent. We have eight large federal medical stations with over 2,000 beds, and thats going to california. And then strategic National Stockpile order, weve ordered, likewise, hundreds of thousands of different items. I wont go into the exact numbers, but the numbers are very substantial, but were having a tremendous additional number sent. And whatever the states can get, they should be getting. Id say were sort of a backup for the states. And some of the states are doing really well and some dont do as well. The ones that dont do as well need more help. But these are three states that really do need help because they are they are hit very hard. And the outpouring from the private seblgt sector has also extraordinary. Im pleased to announce that honeywell, Great Company, has announced it will immediately expand its personal protective equipment manufacture operations in rhode island to produce millions of additional n95 masks. Theyre very hard to get. Theyre actually quite complex. The u. S. Governments strategic National Stockpile. Theyll then be immediately delivered to the various states. This expansion is already under way and its going to provide a lot of jobs for that state, probably around 500. The masks will be deliberated by the government for the use of the health, safety, and emergency, and this for response workers, primarily for response workers. These are very high end. This expansion is in addition to honeywells action, to more than double production of its existing personal protective Equipment Manufacturing plants. They make a lot of different things, and theyre doubling and tripling their production. Theyre going around the clock. Today im also announcing the launch of a new publicprivate consortium organized by the white house. The department of energy and ibm, to unleash the power of american superComputing Resources to fight the chinese virus. The following leaders from private industries, academia, and government will be contributing, and theyre going to be contributing a lot of different things, but primarily Computing Resources to help researchers discover new treatments and vaccines. Theyll be working along with nih and all of the people that are working on this. But tremendous help from ibm, amazon, google, microsoft, m. I. T. , rensselaer polytechnic institute, the department of energys National Labor laboratories, the National Science foundation and nasa. Theyre all contributing to this effort, and theyre fully in gear. This afternoon i also want to update you on the steps were taking to protect and serve our countrys 18 million veterans. These are great people. Our amazing veterans have shown their eternal loyalty to our nation, and this is a time where theyre in need, and were going to show our loyalty to them. Were being very protective of our veterans. Were working on certain hospitals where we may be doing some work in louisiana in particular and some other states, veterans hospitals. Were going to be very protective of our veterans. Some of them are of that very vulnerable age, and some of them, obviously, are not feeling very well. And some of them are still suffering the wounds of war from many years ago. Yesterday i signed vital legislation to ensure that the gi bill will cover Distance Learning during this emergency. I also spoke with many of our veteran Service Organizations who are the vsos, to describe our unprecedented action. In february, the department of Veterans Affairs established 19 Emergency Operation centers throughout the country. One of the things that theyve been trying to get done for many years you all know this from following me over the last number of years, but we got it done pretty quickly. Theyve been trying to get it done for many, many decades, was choice, veterans choice, and also veterans accountability. Now, if its crowded within this if they cant get to a doctor we have great doctors in the va. I have to say that. We have fantastic doctors, as good as they come, but its hard to get to them because of what was bureaucracy but no longer bureaucracy. Weve done a lot of things in that case because of accountability. When people arent doing their jobs, or if theyre bad or if theyre sadistic or if they steal or anything bad happens, were now allowed to fire them for i signed that a year and a half ago for many years you werent able to do that. So, the va is working, and i was just told by our great leader at the va, Robert Wilkie he said, for the first time, get the highest marks highest poll numbers in the history of the veterans administration. It came out a week ago, that theyre happy. And look, one of the reasons that happened highest in history. One of the reasons that happened is because of veterans choice. If they have to wait in line, they go see a private doctor, we pay the bill, and they get better. They dont have to wait two weeks and three weeks or two days, but they get better. And a lot of times, they waited so long that they would have a problem and it would end up being terminal because they couldnt get the kind of treatment that they deserve. So, highest poll numbers, highest approval numbers in the history of the va. I was just given that information yesterday. We restricted visitors access to 135 veteran Community Living centers, which house nearly 8,000 veterans with chronic medical conditions so that we limit their exposure to the virus. We want to totally take care of our veterans. And thats what were doing. The va has canceled most elective medical and surgical procedures. Theyre delaying them until after this is gone, after weve won. We began providing lifesaving care to patients who had symptoms across the 171 Va Medical Centers nationwide. Thats a big deal. Under my administration, the va has also been a leader in expanding telehealth. Telehealth is becoming a bigger and bigger factor in medicine. This month we have taken bold action to cut through the red tape and make telehealth available for millions more americans during this crisis. They can speak to a doctor from the safety of their home, rather than risk becoming infected or making a tremendously long trip, when, frankly, youll speak to a great doctor right from your home. Its happening, telehealth. Were very much at the forefront of that, too. Were very proud of it. And it also takes a big burden off our system. We continue to accelerate the development of safe and effective vaccines. Were also aggressively investigating a number of antiviral therapies and treatments to determine their potential in reducing the severity and duration of the symptoms. And you know how i feel, because how i feel is on tuesday, theyre going to be starting it on tuesday morning, and were going to have some medications delivered that, were going to see if they work. They certainly are effective in other ways, and they are safe from the standpoint is that theyre not killing people. Were not going to have that. So, a lot of great things have been happening in that regard. I just want to finish, and then were going to ask a couple of people to say a few words that have been so much in the forefront of this incredible job that weve all been given. But i want to say that i know that this is a challenging time for all americans. Were enduring a Great National trial, and we will prove that we can meet the moment. I want to ensure the American People that were doing everything we can each day to confront and ultimately defeat this horrible, incredible enemy. Were at war, in a true sense, were at war, and were fighting an incredible visible enemy. Think of that. For those of you feeling alone and isolated, i want you to know that were all joined together as one people, internally linked by our shared national spirit. We love our country. The spirit of courage and love and patriotism. No american is alone, as long as we are united, and we are united. Were very united. People are saying things now that three weeks ago, they didnt talk that way. Were very united. No force is equal to the strength of really a unified america, united america, an american like we have it right now. For those worried and afraid, please know, as long as i am your president , you can feel confident that you have a leader who will always fight for you, and i will not stop until we win. This will be a great victory. This is going to be a victory. And its going to be a victory that, in my opinion, will happen much sooner than originally expected. Its now attacking. The enemy is attacking 144 countries at this moment. 144. Thats unthinkable. Theres never been anything like this. And its vicious. It is vicious. Some people recover well and some people have a hard time. We all know that. But we will be totally victorious. We will then get our economy up to a level that it was, and in my opinion, beyond, because that will be a pentup demand. There is a pentup demand. And a lot of great things will happen. But im very proud of our country. Im very proud. Im very proud to be your president. And its just something thats just youre very special people. So, thank you very, very much. And im going to ask, if i might, a combination of, pete, why dont you start off, okay . Please. Thank you, mr. President. Thank you. Just a little bit about what were doing in washington, california, and new york. We understand that the states of washington, new york, and california, are seeing a steady increase in covid19 virus cases. In order to assist for Additional Needs in those areas, the state of new york was approved for a major disaster and declaration this morning. Washington state was also approved earlier today. California submitted their request and the president will consider it immediately. We have medical supplies en route to these states, including respirators, surgical masks, gowns, face shield, coveralls, gloves, with quantities already delivered to both washington, new york, and california. And we anticipate additional supplies to be delivered within the next 42 hours to all these states. Under President Trumps unprecedented National Emergency declaration on march 13, fema is assisting state, local, tribal and territorial governments, including reimbursing eligible emergency protective measures taken at the direction or guidance of Public Health officials in response to this emergency. All 50 states, the district of columbia, five territories, and two tribes, are working directly with fema under the nationwide Emergency Declaration for covid19. With the assistance of the fema regional administrators who are throughout the country, we are working to address the needs of state and local officials everywhere. States, tribal, and territorial governments do not need to request separate Emergency Declarations to receive fema assistance under this nationwide declaration. The Emergency Declaration does not authorize direct Financial Assistance available to individuals, such as Disaster Unemployment assistance or other needs assistance at this time. Just a note on the usns mercy. Based on analysis of a potential need for hospital beds on the west coast, the decision was made that the usns hospital ship mercy would have the greatest impact in california. The department of defense has been given direction to dispatch it to los angeles immediately. Its been advised that mercy can get into position within a week or less of todays order. Even though there are more cases right now in washington, the projected needs for beds in california is five times more that of washington. The mercy will be used to take pressure off local hospitals, other medical needs and not for treating covid19 cases. And finally, a little bit about the National Guard. The federal government continues to take aggressive action and proactive steps to address the covid19 threat, as we attack the health and safety or protect the health and safety of the American People. That remains our top priority. The National Guard is especially postured and equipped to assist federal, state and local agencies while serving the public. In response to this unprecedented, nationwide operation, President Trump has approved washington, california and new york National Guard units under title 32 status for the covid19 response. The president s action provide the nations governors continued command of the National Guard forces, enabling states to use Additional Resources to meet the missions necessary in the covid19 response. The National Guard is a viable and responsive avenue to provide a muchneeded asset that is statemanaged and federally supported. And i want to be clear, this title 32 activation does not federalize National Guard members. The National Guard is still under the authority of each governor. They will work in concert with the department of defense. And weve had a lot of disinformation circling, and i want to make sure it is understood that this is not martial law. The department of defense, by way of a mission assignment, will lead this task. And then finally, we continue to respond to hundreds of requests from governors across the country in filling all of their critical needs. Thank you, sir. Thank you, pete, very much. Peter navarro . Thank you, sir. Thank you, mr. President. Good evening. What i want to talk briefly about is the defense production act. And to give you the overview here, using the full power of private enterprise and the full force of the federal government, my job at the white house is to make sure tactically, working with fema and hhs and the American People, particularly our health care professionals, get the gloves, the masks, and all of the personal protective equipment they need, and i can tell you, sir that since you signed the defense production act, my job has gotten easier, and let me explain why. The defense production act in this context has two primary functions. One is mobilization of the Industrial Base, in this case, the Public HealthIndustrial Base, and the other is allocation of resources, both from the supply chain to the manufacturers and from the manufacturers to the end users, such as the health care professionals. Now, what were seeing, on a purely voluntary basis, based on the leadership of this administration, were seeing the greatest mobilization in the Industrial Base since world war ii. And every day, im working with organizations and companies, National Association of manufacturing, the National Council of textile organizations, and so on, in terms of building up rapidly our capabilities to get what you need. Now, lets think about what mobilization means. It can mean, for example, repurposing a factory. So, perno rickard called us last week, and they had three hurdles they had to deal with. They called my office. Had to make a call to treasury, fda and hhs to clear the path. We got that done that day. They started their production that day, moving from alcoholic beverages to hand sanitizers. And we speak, a truck is moving towards new york and will arrive there tuesday to share with the hospitals over 1,000 gallons of sanitizer. So, that would be a repurpose. A second example would be one that the president offered with honeywell. Again, honeywell called the white house asking for help from the president. And what they said is, look, we want to do this new factory in smithfield, rhode island. They called me on a friday morning, and by that night, we had a contract in to hhs. Hhs flipped that immediately, and i had honeywell moving people and equipment from massachusetts to that facility in smithfield, rhode island, and were going to have those masks produced within 30 days moving on the assembly chain. So, my point is, mobilization is repurposing, building up capabilities. And the other portion, of course, is the allocation of resources. Now, what i can tell you so far is the defense production act, sir, has given me quiet leverage. When you have a strong leader, you can take a light hand initially. And so, what weve seen with this outpouring of volunteers from private enterprise, were getting what we need without put ing the heavy hand of government down. There will be possibly cases down the road, and the manufacturers have actually asked me and alerted me this, where some places in the supply chain they may have problems that the white house will have to break through using the defense production act. We wont hesitate to do that. The last thing ill tell you is that i also get a lot of calls that are very disquieting. Brokers are offering millions of items, whether theyre goggles, masks, or whatever. And you go through three different brokers, trace them to a warehouse in l. A. Thats allegedly got 7 Million Masks and want to charge you seven times what theyre worth. Thats hoarding. Message to the hoarders, if you have any large quantities of materials this Company Needs right now, get them to market or get them to us. Well pay you a fair price. But if you dont do that, were going to come for you and make sure that doesnt happen in this country, and that would be a good use of the defense production act. So, i salute you, sir. Youve made by job easier and i appreciate that. Thank you very much. Mr. Vice president. Thank you, mr. President. The task force met this afternoon, as we do every day. And let me begin today by simply saying thank you to the American People. Thank you for the way that people across this country, 7 days into 15 days to slow the spread. The people in communities large and small across america are responding, are cooperating, are communicating, not just on behalf of their own health and the health of their family, but more importantly, on behalf of the most vulnerable among us. So, on behalf of your president and our entire task force, just thank you to the American People. I also want to express our appreciation to the governors across the country. The president today Just Announced action in new york, california, and washington state, as the latest demonstration that this administration will do whatever it takes to support the leadership at the state and local level, as the American People confront the spread of the coronavirus. The legislative that are under way being negotiated on capitol hill as we speak, the bipartisan spirit thats taking place there thats reflected in all of our interactions with state leaders around the country. Is a great credit to the nation, but it should be a great encouragement to the American People, that your government at the federal level, at the state level, working with courageous Health Care Providers all across america, are coming together to meet this moment. And that is the way our system works. Its extremely important that the American People recognize that one of the things that makes america different is that we have a system of federalists and that the, by putting fema in the lead, our president has emphasized that our response to coronavirus is in the anthem of fema, it is locally executed, statemanaged, and federally supported. We want the people on the ground, the decisionmakers, to have what they need. We want states to be able to manage the unique circumstances in their states. And whether it be the legislation moving through the congress or the efforts the president announced today major disaster declarations, title 32 of the National Guard, resources flowing, hospital beds flowing were going to continue to make sure that our states have what they need to meet this moment. Our task force continues to focus on the priorities the president s given us. They are testing, mitigation, and supplies. And on the subject of testing, as is evident to people across the country, testing is more and more available every single day. Well be detailing tomorrow from this podium the progress that we are making on tests. At this days reporting, 254,000 americans have been tested and received results in coronavirus tests. With slightly more than 30,000 actually testing positive. Theres a bit of an encouraging word in that for every american. Remember, everyone thats being tested now, with the exception of our health care workers, are people that have symptoms that make them think they may have the coronavirus. And as our numbers come in consistently, because the 254,000 does not include all the local hospitals or all the local labs in our states, its working out to be about one in ten americans who have been tested who thought they had coronavirus, actually had it. Nine out of ten did not. But well continue to roll out the testing to provide that resource to the American People. And were working to make testing happen faster. We expect from word from the commercial labs that we should be caught up on the backlog in testing by the middle of the week, and we are urging today on the president s behalf that all labs would prioritize inpatient testing. Let me say it again. All of the commercial labs in the country, you will receive guidance from hhs tomorrow. But on behalf of the president and the White House Coronavirus task force, we are urging all commercial labs to prioritize inpatient testing. We want people that have been checked into a hospital, that are being treated for what they suspect to be coronavirus, to receive those tests more quickly. Also, im pleased to report that yesterday the fda approved an emergency authorization on a new test that should be in production by the end of march. It actually would be a coronavirus test, the results of which come back in 45 minutes. And were also working and the fda is working with manufacturers around the country to come up with even faster, more innovative tests. And as weve told our governors in several calls this week, governors and state Health Officials should simply contact fema for the latest information on testing solutions. Let me also say, tomorrow when we gather at this podium, well be unveiling with dr. Bob redfield in the lead, new guidance for people that work in law enforcement, first responders, people that work in what we call Critical Infrastructure in the country. It was in early march the cdc issued guidance for people that were asymptomatic or did not have symptoms but who had been exposed to someone with coronavirus. We gave them guidance about being able to return to work wearing a mask for 14 days. And tomorrow at this podium, cdc will unveil in cooperation with the department of Homeland Security new guidance, which will make it possible for people that have been exposed to return to work more quickly by wearing a mask for a certain period of time. Let me also amplify a point on behalf of the president and on behalf of the state department about americans abroad. You know, one of the reasons why the United States is in a different position today than portions of europe are and china and elsewhere, is because the president suspended all travel from china. He suspended travel from europe and the uk and ireland. But the state department is working around the clock to assist americans who may find themselves overseas. Theyre able to come home. Theres no barriers to americans coming back to american soil. Theyre screened when they come home through a series of airports. But were aware that with flights being canceled, some americans have found themselves unable to find a way home. And as the president said, weve been working very diligently through the state department to make it possible. Their commercial flights have been chartered and were working with the military for a backup on flights. At this point, the state department has brought more than 3,000 americans home, but speaking to the secretary of state today, he wanted me to share a website and a phone number for any american that might be looking on from overseas. You can call the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program at 18884074747. Or you could go online at step. State. Gov. This will allow our embassies and consulates to gather Important Information about your situation and work to facilitate to bring you home. Let me say, finally, as i began, let me close. As the chairman or the leader of this White House Coronavirus task force, we are 7 days into 15 days, and the American People are responding. Because as we speak about supplies, as we speak about testing, the most important thing every american can do is heed the guidance and the direction from your state and local officials, particularly in areas where we have widespread coronavirus infections. But for every american, putting into practice these measures that the president alluded to at the very beginning of his remarks is a way that we can do this, america. We can lessen the magnitude of the coronavirus in our country. With the cooperation, compassion, generosity and prayers of the American People, we can slow the spread, we can protect the most vulnerable, and we can heal our land. So, lets do it, america. Thank you, mike, very much. Thank you. Thank you very much, mike. So, just a couple of little things. Then well take some questions. Maybe youll have some. Maybe you wont. It will be a shock. It will shock the american public. But i have to say, on the testing, the new if this works out, and we think it might, the new test will be a very simple one, much easier than the existing test, which is quite complex and not a lot of fun to take. And this would be a gamechanger. But remember, we inherited a broken, obsolete system. It was good for a small number of people, but not good for the millions of people that were talking about. And weve made this into a system that no matter where you go in the world, thats where theyre going, thats what they want to do, thats how theyre going to be doing it, should Something Like this happen again. So, our people have done a fantastic job. Really, a fantastic job. And i hope the new test works out. Well know fairly soon, i think, doctor. Were going to be knowing about that fairly soon. Hopefully, it will check out or test out, and we certainly are looking forward to that. That will be a very simple test by comparison. Wont be unpleasant at all. And one other thing. The ships. So, we have the mercy, and thats going to california, as you know. Thats on the west coast now. And you have a sister ship thats essentially a twin. Theyre incredible. I mean, theyre incredible ships. Ive seen it. Ive seen one of them. And they are unbelievable, what they can do and the capacity. Many operating rooms. You know, theyre wartime ships. They were meant for war. Many operating rooms, stainless steel. These are as good as any in the nation, actually. I spoke with Governor Cuomo. We had a great conversation today, a number of conversations, actually. Hes working very hard. And we are going to be bringing that ship. Thats called the comfort. So, you have the mercy and the comfort. The comforts on the east coast, and that will be coming over the next three or four weeks. Thats being it was in the middle of maintenance, and were moving the maintenance very, very quickly, and were also supplying the ship simultaneously. Its actually big supplies going into those ships, big. And that ship will be coming up here over the next few weeks, and well probably be putting it in new york harbor. Were making arrangements for where that will be docked. So, you have the mercy and you have the comfort coming up. The mercy will be coming up very quickly. It will be arriving in los angeles pretty soon, so we look forward to that. Question . Abc, go ahead. Thank you. First of all, senator paul tested positive. Whens the last time you had inperson contact with him . Gee, i think it was quite a while ago. But also its been a long time. On top of senator paul now, four senators are in isolation. And the rules say that in order to vote who are they . Romney, senator lee senator gardner and senator rick scott. Rick scott also. Two of them were in contact rick scott with the critical stimulus package romneys in isolation . Yes. Gee, thats too bad. Go ahead. Detect sarcasm there, sir . No, sir. Do you think that congress should consider changing the rules to allow them to vote remotely when it comes to this critical stimulus package . I was thinking about it today and you could have a lot of senators and a lot of house members. I spoke last night with a very, very good man who happens to be in the house, as you know, and hes just started. And he tested positive. So, you could have a large number of people, and theyre from congress. You could have between the house and senate, you could have a large number, and i think its something at least i mean, i fully understand why you should be there. I think and maybe a constitutional reason why you should, but we could be in a position where i would certainly be in favor of it, where they could vote from a certain outside location. I would be in favor of it. I was thinking about it today. I mean, we could be in this, with whats going on nobodys ever seen anything like this you could have a lot of people in there from congress, and it would certainly be, theyre telling me theres a reason constitutionally, and there may be, but i would be totally in favor of it on a temporary basis. It does seem like negotiations still have a ways to go on the stimulus package. Are you concerned about the timing of it . We all have an interesting thing we all want to get to the same place, but with different i have we want to and i just wrote this down a little while ago, we want to protect the worker very much. So do they. So do the democrats. We also want to protect the worker through their companies. We dont want to necessarily were going to help the worker anyway, but ideally, they can go back to one of their Great Companies. You know, you have Great Companies that are in financial trouble now, and we need money to help those companies so they get back into where they should be, health, you know . Most of these companies four weeks ago were having the best year theyve ever had. Last year was the best year almost all of them, other than boeing, which has incredibly had problems. Big percentage of gdp. But we have to be able to work with boeing. Boeing was a Great Company and will be a Great Company again, i think shortly. So, we have to work with the companies, and they dont want to do that. Its crazy. They dont want to do that. I dont want stock buybacks, so i dont know where the problem is there, but i know thats one of the things that theyre talking about. I do not want stock buybacks. I dont want to give a bailout to a company and then have somebody go out and use that money to buy back stock in the company and raise the price and then get a bonus, okay . So, i may be republican, but i dont like that. I want them to use the money for the workers. I want them to use the money for the company, to help the company in the Airline Business to take care of their planes and all of the things they have to do, including buying new planes, but i dont want stock buybacks. I dont want to have any stock buybacks. The democrats are with me. I dont know what the problem is on that one because i cant imagine that is too tough. We want to be cable to take care of our people. Youre going to have some things coming up. Youre going to have some of the elements theyre talking about, theyre down to, i mean, literally 95 of the things you think they wouldnt agree and youd think republicans wouldnt agree to it unemployment for example is one of the things they talk about, and unemployment insurance. I think were very close on that, but right now theyre not so, right now theyre not there. But i think that the democrats want to get there, and i can tell you for a fact the republicans want to get there, and i dont think anybody actually has a choice. Its a bold package. Its a big package. We do have money for one of the things is we do have money for saving Small Businesses. I dont imagine the democrats because we have a lot of money set aside for Small Businesses. We also have a lot of money set aside for big businesses, you know, the big, powerful companies that were power play four weeks ago and today are overextended. Look at the cruise line. Thats a tremendous business, a big business, very important to florida, and its unthinkable a month ago. Just unthinkable. They were setting all sorts of records. Theyre building new ships. We cant let the cruise lines go out of business. I mean, that would be massive numbers of jobs for our country and, actually, for the world, but for our country, its a massive business, and it doesnt take much to keep them going. So, we have to provide for that. But i think both the democrats and the republicans are agreeing that we have to take care of our workers and were going to be doing that in numerous ways, including a substantial cash payment. Please. When it comes to the defense production act, we know that governors across the country all day today were pleading with you to utilize the dpa well, it depends which governors youre talking about. Specifically for that allocation use that you mentioned, mr. Navarro. Why not use it now, if that would answer their pleas for help . Well, we are using it now. The fact that i signed it, its in effect. But you know, were a country not based on nationalizing our business. Call a person over in venezuela. Ask them, how did nationalization of their businesses work out . Not too well. The concept of nationalizing our businesses is not a good concept. But ill tl you why as peter said, we may have to use it someplace along the chain, but were getting calls. Heres the beauty of it. If we go out and we want, lets say masks, we dont know who to call to get a mask, but haynes, who makes things of cotton, various elements, lots of things. Its a Great Company. They called us and they said, were going to make millions of masks. We got a call today from 3m. Theres a big article today. The head of 3m. Theyre going to make tremendous products, and theyre more or less in that business. And if theyre not, like for instance, General Motors spoke to us, ford spoke to us about doing ventilators. The beauty is, theyre calling us. If you go the national route, nationalization route, were going to tell a company to make a ventilator. They dont even know what a ventilator is. In the case of one company, they used to make them years ago and they know how to make them. You know, its a very complex piece of equipment, frankly. So, what were doing is, i think peter said it maybe better than anybodys going to say it. We have the threat of doing it if we need it. We may have to use it somewhere along the supply chain in a minor way, but we have millions of masks being done. We have respirators. We have ventilators. We have a lot of things happening right now. So, just the threat of using it. But using its actually a big deal. I mean, when this was announced, it sent tremors through our Business Community and through our country, because basically, what are you doing . Youre talking about, youre going to nationalize an industry or youre going to nationalize youre going to take away companies. Youre going to Tell Companies what to do. The truth is, most people nobody would know where to start. There are companies out there that you wouldnt think of that have called us that say, we can do ventilators. We used to do them years ago. And they can do them in large quantities. Other company if i Call Companies and say, you build ventilators, they dont even know what a ventilator is. So, its really working out very well. One of the reasons i read the numbers to you is because weve given vast numbers of just about everything weve taken it out of our supply, and were restocking our supply. But were really backing up the governors. The governors have to go out, do their things. And you have a lot of governors who have done a fantastic job. You have some that havent. Usually its the ones that complain that have the problems. But weve had a great relationship, as an example, with Governor Cuomo, with Governor Newsom. Weve had a great relationship with the state of washington. Those are three hot beds. Those are three hotbeds. Now, were also dealing with other states. As the admiral said yesterday, were dealing with all of the states, actually, in one form or the other. Some are very affected in a very minor way, where you have two people or three people, and i dont even mean deaths, i mean literally, cases. And thats different than new york, where you have, you know, tremendous where everybody i lived there for a long time. Everybodys extremely close, tight. And you have a lot of cases in new york. You have a lot of cases in new york. And were helping Governor Cuomo. Were helping Governor Newsom. Theyve been, frankly, total gentlemen. They want to get it done and we want to get it done. But doing it the way were doing it is much better. Its really much better. But in terms of im asking about the supply chain, not its about allocation, not about manufacturing. So, the companies, its not nationalizing companies no, youre right. Its about allocation. We coordinate with the states and we are coordinating with the states, and for the most part, the coordinations been very good. Three days ago i had a phone call with all of the governors. I actually allowed the press to stay. They werent supposed to stay. And one person in the media said, that was surprising. Its risky doing that because we had democrats and we had republicans. And you know, theyre politicians and they always have something to say. Well, i took a lot of calls. And we really didnt get one nasty or bad response. They were thanking us for the job we did. And i had the press i dont know if you were there, i dont think so i had the press standing there watching. They werent supposed to be there, but i said, let them stand there. The governors were very complimentary. Very complimentary. And i watched over the last few days Governor Cuomo. I watched gavin newsom, california. I watched both of them, and theyve been, you know, very complimentary. And those are really the hotbeds. And so, we want to keep that going. Im very proud of this country and im, frankly, very proud of a lot of the politicians that normally were fighting with. We have different views on things, you know, a little different view. But were going to get to the same place. We have different views, but were going to get to the same place. Yeah, please. Yeah. I wanted to ask if youre considering an executive order to free elderly nonviolent criminals from federal prisons . We have been asked about that, and were going to take a look at it. Its a bit of a problem. But when we talk about totally nonviolent, were talking about these are totally nonviolent prisoners, were actually looking at that, yes. Thank you. And a quick mr. President go ahead. Also, your administration eliminated a key position in china in july. A medical epidemiologist embedded in chinas Disease Control agency. And it was just months before the first cases were spotted in wuhan. So, the question is basically why the post was eliminated and if thats well, i could ask anybody . Would you like to take that one, bob . But you know, this is just like all of the other stuff that you not you, but that the press was asking. All of which turned out to be, we actually gave cdc more money, not less money. They said we defunded. Turned out, it was more money. Every one of those things that were said were 100 wrong, and this sounds like another one of them. But anyway, go ahead. Yeah, as you know, cdc has offices all around the world right now to do our function, to detect and prevent and respond to outbreaks where they occur. The china office is actually being augmented as we speak. And weve been embedded there for over 30 years. Theres a reason they call it the chinese cdc, because weve had that productive partnership. Mr. President mr. President mr. President and i wish, again, our relationship with chinas a very good relationship. I wish they told us three months sooner that this was a problem. We didnt know about it. They knew about it, and they should have told us. We could have saved a if you look at whats happening in italy and a lot of country, we could have saved a lot of lives around the world. Given the diagnoses for senator r senate erraor rand paul and peoe being quarantined. What direction do you have . Should americans be expecting you to extend the 15 days given the climate of how this is spreading . I hope we wont have to possible. We have to see how that works. As far as the senators is concerned, we are looking at some folks are feeling really good. Some are quarantined but theyre negative. They may be totally fine, okay . Others are positive, we just finding it out. The aid package the americans are waiting for . I dont see any threats at all. It will all work out. It is a question and a very good question. I thought we are considering and i dont know if you can get constitutionally but we are considering letting people vote senators, congresswomen and c e congressmen, vote outside the hospital from a home depending where they are. It is a trickier question. We are looking at strongly. They were not able to get the 60 votes to move closer. I am curious. What is Mitch Mcconnell is telling you and secretary mnuchin. We are dealing with mitch and other side. Anybody wants to get there. Well see what happens. I think hell get there. To me it is not very complicated. We have to help the workers. We have to save companies. As soon as we are finished with this war, it is not a battle, it is a war. As soon as we finish this war, our country is going to bounce back like you have never seen before but we have to get into that position and we have to make sure those companies are whole. If you do that, it is going to take much longer. We want to help the workers, we want to help the companies that the workers come from because if those companies go out of business and that includes Small Businesses. We have a tremendous amount of Small Business working out there. Once they go out and dont come back. I apologize, there was a woman that was an american that was being tortured, what was going on . Bad things were happening to her in a certain country. We are really under the feeling we should keep it some what private until shes already been freed. I have to tell you general millie and these people are unbelievable. They were not playing games. General millie does not play games. Hes an interesting guy. They got her out. We wish she was not seriously abused and whatever the maximum word is other than death that happened. We got her out. Shes okay and shes back with her parents. One last question. Previous crisis, they quoted past president s, do you have anything to say, obama or clinton . I have the best people in the world. If you look at the h1n1 or that whole, that was a diasersaster. You look at other things that were not handled very well whether it is katrina or something else. I feel like i have an Incredible Team and i feel like we are doing an incredible job. You have to look at the approval number. I dont want to disturb them or bother them. I dont think i am going to learn much. As you can say this probably is a Natural Inclination not to call. If i felt that i call and i did learn something and it would save one life, okay . I would make the call in 10 minutes but i dont see it happening. Mr. President , gary cohn says is it time to discuss the need where the economy can turn back on. Well have to take we have shut it all down. You have to shut it down and see. We are back in business. Lets go. This is a fine line. We cut europe off very early. When do you start opening main street back . What i have to say is that well have good results. The American People have been ama amazing. Theyre close in getting a deal done. I would be surprised if they did not. If they dont and frankly the American People would be upset with the democrats because the republicans are ready to approve a deal. The only reason the deal cant get done is politics. We should have Hospital Systems in various places. Some have been stocking and ready to go and nothing for this. This is beyond anything anybody could thought possible. You can say this. The system is supposed to be ready and willing and isolated rar enable. I have great love for new york city and new york state. We are sending our ships up there and more than just this year. We may be using some of the cruise ships we have been reading about. They are immediate and they are quick. We have good docking systems. We may be useing some of the e cruise liners. Bill de blasio is working very hard. It is a tough situation for him and every mayor because nobody ever seen the scale. When you are given hundreds of thousands of masks in a certain period of time and you hear they need many, many more. One of the things they started is these sterilization process. Some works very well and others are not set up that way. You throw them out. We have a sterilization process thats working very hard. Speaking of the hand sanitizers, we have Many Companies now, Companies Making whisky and alcohol, they are now diving into hand sanitizers. We are doing incredibly well on that. There is no way we took the existing company for Something Like that. It happens, Peter Navarro where theyll call somebody and one case they called me. We can do this. We had a lot of those calls where Companies Want to a Great Company want to make ventilators. They do make metal equipment and things out of metal. Thatll be great. The girl thats inside the center righwill you commit publ none of the taxpayers money will go towards your own . I committed publicly that i would not take the 450,000 salary. It is a lot of money. Nobody cares. Nobody said thank you. Nobody said thank you very much. Now, i didnt commit it. I said i dont want my salary. I work for zero. I dont want my salary. Nobody says thank you very much. I guarantee you if i ever took it and you would go after me and you would go after me, all that crazies. I have no idea what they are talking about with regards to everything is changing. I have no idea but every time i commit to do something. I committed to do that. I ran and Everybody Knows i was a rich person. I built a Great Company. And people knew that. I told them not to d