Tuesday, March 3, 2020

CORONAVIRUS QUAGMIRE--Congress Emergency Combat---SNAFU ON THE HOUSE FLOOR

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"...who's-in-charge of this outfit...?" 

     (The Lab)--Although there has been much talk about money to back the individual states in their efforts to combat the new disease that has already grown to pandemic proportions globally, there appears little direct evidence of Congressional activity to appropriate the money. Task force commander VP Mike Pence assured governors today that the money is there, as reported by Adriana Gomez Licon for the Associated Press;
     " 'What the vice president is envisioning as a former governor is ‘Look, you guys need to be able to combat this thing. So you guys do what you’ve got to do. We will appropriate money and then simply reimburse you on the back end,’ ' DeSantis, a Republican, said at a news conference in Miami after confirming two people had been tested positive in Florida." (AP)


     That's big of the VP to demand the states to shell out money up front as if the states have the wherewithal in their budgets to "combat" the virus. Already the bills are stacking up for quarantine centers nationwide, not to mention the load placed on testing labs, cost for gear such as expensive hazmat suits and the scarcity of protective masks for state health employees.  In addition, the Associated Press article above fails to mention any legislative specific bills introduced to secure the loot. It refers to  "bipartisan" negotiations only.
     As for Congress, a review of recent bills introduced regarding the money that has been requested by the executive branch shows nothing for the first session of March. The bills introduced on Monday refer to "The Backyard Act" and "Fair Debt Collection," with nothing for the pending emergency request related to the spread of the virus. In fact, in the 20 or so bills on the floor this past week, none are related to the so-called virus emergency, with plenty of airtime dedicated to parks, recreation and veterans. (house.gov)

White House presses Congress for coronavirus funding by mid-March

The White House on Friday said it hopes Congress will send President Trump Donald John Trump This week: House eyes vote on emergency coronavirus funding Democratic candidates gear up for a dramatic Super Tuesday Judd Gregg: Trump and Pelosi - Who's crazy now? MORE a supplemental funding bill to combat the coronavirus within the next two weeks.
     Even with four more deaths reported in Washington state today, there appears to be little ambition for Congress to fast track the legislation. This is the same House that ramrodded the impeachment articles through in order that it could meet the Christmas holiday recess.  A review of the current bills being considered obviously indicates the non-committal of the House to come up with a bona-fide slush fund that would be immediately available for the states, in particular out West where the cases, and casualties, are growing daily.
     What did the director of the World Health Organization (WHO)  have to say about the rise of cases?
     “Stigma, to be honest, is more dangerous than the virus itself. Fear and panic are dangerous,” World Health Organization director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “It’s fine to be concerned and worried, but let’s calm down and do the right things.” (LA Times)
 Spreading as fast as the global pandemic is not just misinformation, but a genuine doubt in the collective consciousness of people, Americans in particular, that someone is actually in charge of the emergency. Even with the appointment of the Pence task force last week, other agencies suddenly appear with contradictory announcements, such as the WHO. Even today, FEMA somehow appeared out of nowhere with yet another angle on the situation.

FEMA preparing for possible coronavirus emergency declaration

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is planning for the possibility that President Donald Trump could make an emergency declaration to bring in extra funds and personnel to assist the administration's coronavirus response, according to internal documents obtained by NBC News.
NBC cites so-called "internal documents" that more than likely can't be verified generating more fake reports for headlines. Although news outlets have given some descriptions of the task force, it still appears a nebulous back-office, hastily contrived, "who's-in-charge of this outfit" reaction to the impending crisis. To simply put it off by calling it fearmongering and panic does not sit well with the public that is more in tune with current events than officials might give it credit for.

Sources
AP, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/pence-tells-governors-money-for-coronavirus-costs-is-coming/ar-BB10EqHZ?ocid=spartanntp
House Bills, http://clerk.house.gov/floorsummary/floor.aspx?day=20200302&today=20200302
Stigma, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/coronavirus-is-a-deadly-threat-—-but-fear-and-panic-are-more-dangerous-global-health-chief-says/ar-BB10EaAQ?ocid=spartanntp

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