Trump: National emergency

By
Suzanne Downing
-
9

CANADA CLOSES ALL PORTS TO CRUISE SHIPS, IMPACTING ALASKA

Today President Donald Trump declared the coronavirus outbreak a national emergency. Trump invoked the Stafford Act, a law that empowers the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster response and aid state and local governments.

This will open up access to up to $50 billion for states and localities.

The virus has now shown up in 46 states.

His announcement was made at the White House this afternoon and included such details as:

  • Every state should set up emergency operations centers immediately.
  • The government is asking every hospital to activate emergency preparedness plan.
  • He is overriding regulations so the country can open up access to telehealth and allow doctors to work across state lines and is
  • Waiving requirements on hospital beds limits and lengths of stay, and
  • Waiving rules to bring more doctors on board for nursing home facilities by lowering red tape.
  • New rules for visitations at nursing homes.

CANADA CLOSES PORTS TO CRUISE SHIPS

Canada has closed all ports to cruise ships until at least July 1. That means no Alaska cruises of ships holding more than 500 passengers will be coming to Alaska this year.

Several lines that are foreign flagged use Victoria, B.C. to meet the “foreign-port” federal requirement when doing 7-day runs out of Seattle.

NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE

The president said the country will fill the National Petroleum Reserves up to the top. This means the government will be buying oil at a low price to ensure the nation has enough oil reserves.

As announced earlier, the U.S. is suspending all travel from Europe today except for Americans. Those travelers will be screened and asked to voluntarily self-quarantine.

This story is being updated…Check back.

9 COMMENTS

  1. I’m on the YK Delta only talk radio show for the week, short bit ago, reminding the Villages that the ONLY thing that’s a fact is that their pfds are being stolen today.

    I remember 2008 the Bird Flu had every Native in Western Alaska afraid to eat a duck or goose. They still got ate and nobody got sick. Amazing.

  2. “This will open up access to up to $50 billion for states and localities…”
    Break open the National Debt Credit Card and start charging away…
    While you are at it, toss some more oil on the National Debt so the “bottom” doesn’t fall out of crude market and our entire fossil fuel economy collapse…but of course this is not “subsidizing” the oil sector.

    • Steve, this actually might be the closest to subsidizing the oil industry you have ever claimed. How exciting for you, this would be the first time you might have an argument with the ‘oil subsidy’ drum you have been beating for years. However, I would argue that it is an intelligent decision to reinforce the Strategic Petroleum Reserves at a good cost point for taxpayers. I would prefer that when our nation purchases this strategic worldwide commodity they do so at a price point that saves taxpayer dollars, it would be hard to argue that this doesn’t or won’t save tax payer dollars over what oil prices were just one week ago or will more than likely be a few short weeks or months from now when this panic settles.
      .
      I would entertain the notion that this purchase does help artificially prop up the global trade in oil to a small degree, I would like to know how much you think it actually subsidizes the oil industry, especially if and when these reserves are sold at a profit to the government which in turn would cost the oil companies money in the long term. Oil prices worldwide went up 5% after President Trumps announcement but then the stock market also went up almost 10% today, 1985 points largest daily gain ever by nearly 700 points.
      .
      To say the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is an oil subsidy would be incorrect. That’s just not how subsidies work and it’s not how the SPR works. You need to remember the reason for the SPR, it is to offset or make up for worldwide shortages in oil. So when prices are low and supplies are high it is a good time to buy and when shortages are at hand and prices are high that is when the strategic part of Strategic Petroleum Reserve comes into play. This isn’t a subsidy to oil companies, it is sound policy. I know a lot of people think anything President Trump does is wrong, but sometimes those people are wrong.

        • Nayem,

          Thanks for the correction. Instead of saying the stock market was up almost 10% I should have said it was up 9.36% and instead of saying nearly 700 points I should have said 691 points. I will try not to exaggerate so much next time, I would have figured the words almost and nearly would account for any discrepancy but apparently I was wrong.

          • Even after including Friday’s short covering bounce, which is likely to fade Monday, the Dow closed lower by 10% for the week and remains 21% below the where it was in February.

            Sum total?
            Fail.

      • Peak Oil, Population Bomb,We should all be dead due to aids or global warming. Y2K. Childhood hunger, Childhood obesity. Spotted Owl. Trump and Russia. Trump and Ukraine. Dunleavy is evil. STHU!

  3. Thank you Mr. President for doing all that you can to help protect our native elders here in Alaska, the ones who are the most susceptible to this disease. Generations upon generations of culture and knowledge are at risk of being lost. Probably something that we’ll never recover from if this thing gets loose in The villages. So yes I would rather spend the money and nobody gets sick rather than not spend the money and have a major catastrophe. Nobody has a crystal ball and it’s comforting to see that there are plenty of armchair quarterbacks still out there to call the plays after the game has been lost.

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