In the corona crisis, US President Trump hinted at a time to restart the US economy – even though the virus continues to spread. He also issued a decree against hamster purchases and usury prices.
The solution should not be worse than the problem, the treatment should not be more devastating than the virus, US President Donald Trump said several times at his press conference in the White House. The underlying reason is apparently the fear that the economic damage to the United States could end up being greater than the health.
That’s why Trump wants to quickly restart some parts of the US economy. The easing can be announced early next week, according to Trump. Then a 15-day period ends for recommendations that the Trump administration has submitted to combat the corona virus. All US citizens were called upon to work from home if possible.
America will soon be open for business again, and not only in three to four months. Trump emphasized that a long-term shutdown of the economy would ultimately result in more deaths than the corona virus. Trump did not specify which parts of the economy should start up and when. However, he wanted to decide this in close coordination with his team of experts.
Corona virus continues to spread in the United States
The U.S. government also plans to tackle the hoarding and overpriced resale of protective masks and disinfectants. Trump has signed an order to criminalize such behavior. His Secretary of Justice, William Barr, made it clear that these measures would not target the population. Rather, companies that saw big business during the crisis.
So far, there are no signs that the spread of the coronavirus in the USA could weaken. On the contrary: the number of infections and deaths has increased significantly recently. According to Johns Hopkins University, there are now tens of thousands of confirmed cases of infection and around 500 fatalities.
Dispute over gigantic aid program
To curb the pandemic, exit restrictions are in place for more than a third of U.S. residents – including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, the country’s three largest cities. Economic life is significantly affected. For example, the three car companies General Motors, Fiat Chrysler and Ford have shut down their factories in North America.
There was still no breakthrough on Monday in the struggle for a gigantic aid program to contain the economic and social consequences of the Corona crisis in Washington. The opposition Democrats failed again in the Senate to coordinate a procedural vote on the package of measures, thereby preventing a debate about the actual legal text.
The Democrats criticize inadequate protective measures for employees and a lack of control over how aid is given to large corporations in need. The aid package could amount to just under two trillion dollars (around 1.87 trillion euros). It would be the third – and by far largest – US emergency relief package since the crisis began.
With information from Torben Ostermann, ARD-Studio Washington
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