Trump, Pence Press Conference on More Disease Measures, Praise Bipartisan Action on House Bill

March 14, 2020 (EIRNS)—President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, accompanied by other officials, appeared before the cameras again today, following a meeting of the coronavirus task force, to announce, among other things, an agreement with both the Congress and the pharmaceutical and insurance industries on the provision of free testing for the coronavirus for anyone who needs it.

Trump also reported that legislative package now working its way through Congress—it was passed by the House of Representatives on March 13—also includes paid sick and family medical leave and aid to caregivers of elderly relatives and families with children affected by school closures. President Trump also emphasized in a tweet that there had been bipartisan cooperation to move the legislation through quickly: “Good teamwork between Republicans & Democrats as the House passes the big CoronaVirus Relief Bill. People really pulled together. Nice to see!”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, reported that as of yesterday afternoon there were 2,226 cases in the U.S. and 50 deaths, including 532 new cases and 9 deaths yesterday. He particularly noted the situation in China, where there were only 11 new cases, yesterday and 7 deaths. Fauci stressed that he wants to accomplish in the U.S. what the Chinese did, but with a lower peak. He stressed that on the testing “all systems are go” because of President Trump’s emergency declaration and that, as we gain knowledge of testing, this will alleviate anxiety because then we’ll know where we stand.