FEMA preparing for Trump emergency declaration on coronavirus: report
By Justine Coleman - 03/02/20 12:32 PM EST
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is preparing for President Trump to potentially make an emergency declaration regarding the coronavirus outbreak, NBC News reported Monday.
The agency is readying itself in case Trump makes an “infectious disease emergency declaration,†which would allow states and local governments to receive disaster relief funding and federal assistance to combat the virus, according to internal planning documents obtained by NBC.
The declaration would allow FEMA to distribute this funding under the 1988 Stafford Act, which is more often used to provide money for natural disaster relief but can also be used for diseases. The Stafford Act was also used to help fund the fight against the West Nile virus in New York and New Jersey in 2000.
"To me this is another indication that the president and the White House are finally aware of the gravity of the situation," Michael Coen, who was FEMA chief of staff during the Obama administration, told NBC News.
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https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/public-global-health/485467-fema-preparing-for-trump-emergency-declaration-on
