Trump expected to declare national emergency

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President Trump plans to announce a national emergency as communities across the country prepare for the novel coronavirus outbreak.

 

The president will address the nation from the Oval Office at 3 p.m. EDT on Friday and is expected to invoke the Stafford Act in an effort to assist state and local governments with federal and medical assistance as officials attempt to contain the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, sources told Bloomberg News.

The declaration would allow more than $40 billion from the Disaster Relief Fund to be released and would give states the ability to request 75% cost share of expenses for medical tests, medical supplies, emergency workers, hospital security, vaccinations, and more.

The last time a president declared a national emergency was in 2000, when President Bill Clinton used the power to assist New York and New Jersey during the West Nile Virus outbreak.

 

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