US President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on Friday, freeing up $50 billion in federal funds for the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.
“To unleash the full power of the federal government, I’m officially declaring a national emergency,” Trump told a news conference on the White House lawn.
“The action I am taking will open up access to 50 billion dollars for states and territories in our shared fight against this disease,” he added.
President @realDonaldTrump is officially declaring a National Emergency and ordering every state to set up emergency operations centers, effective immediately. pic.twitter.com/dkdaJVsOVk
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 13, 2020
Trump called on all US states to set up emergency operation centers and said the government was partnering with the private sector to “vastly increase and accelerate our capacity to test” for the virus, amid criticism about a lack of test kits nationwide.
On Wednesday, the United States suspended all travel from European countries except the United Kingdom for the next 30 days as coronavirus has claimed 37 lives and infected 1,200 in the US.