WASHINGTON — President Trump on Wednesday invoked wartime powers that could boost the manufacturing of medical equipment used to fight the coronavirus pandemic, as hospitals braced for a nationwide explosion of infections and Congress rushed to pass emergency legislation to keep the country’s economy on life support.
The Senate passed a measure — already approved by the House — to provide free testing and expand sick leave for Americans, and Trump signed it just hours later. With the stock market plummeting and layoffs mounting, lawmakers are already working on the next package of proposals, expected to top $1 trillion, including aid to struggling industries and individual checks to most taxpayers.
Trump also ordered a halt to evictions from public housing for those affected by the coronavirus, and to foreclosures for homeowners who have mortgages backed by the federal government.
The emergency steps came as the country continues to lock down in hopes of slowing the spread of the coronavirus. The U.S. restricted its border with Canada and is preparing new limitations on migrants entering from Mexico.
The cascading announcements came as the Trump administration faces waves of criticism for moving too slowly and timidly to blunt the pandemic, which originated in China and has since spread around the globe. More than 7,700 infections and 118 deaths have been confirmed in the United States.
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The City of Santa Monica closed the Santa Monica Pier in an attempt to prevent the further spread of the Coronavirus. Very few people were on the beach in Santa Monica as the epidemic continues. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)
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Volunteer Nagma Shakur, 16, left, hugs her “Grannie” as she helps senior shoppers with their carts at the Grocery Outlet Bargain Market in Altadena. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
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People walk up the ramp, exiting the secure area at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
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David Barker, 56, is visiting with his friend living in a tent on skidrow in Los Angeles. Barker, who is not homeless, works in the area. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
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Dr. Dallas Weaver, 79, and his wife, Janet Weaver, 75, of Huntington Beach, walk on the Huntington pier. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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Seniors, including Eileen Oda Leaf, 67, left, and her husband Dave Leaf, 67, right, both wearing protective masks, line up outside Gelson’s Market in Manhattan Beach early on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
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Roberta Tabor, 66, of Hermosa Beach, has her ID checked by store director Dennis Sullivan at Gelson’s Market in Manhattan Beach on Wednesday. The store is doing a “seniors shopping hour” where seniors 65+ can go grocery shopping before anybody else. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
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Seniors shop at Gelson’s Market in Manhattan Beach on Wednesday. The store is doing a “seniors shopping hour” where seniors can go grocery shopping before the store opens to the general public. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
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Dr. Mark V. Morocco oversees testing at UCLA Medical Center where people can drive up and get tested if they have the symptoms. Morocco listens to a female patient’s lungs through the car window. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)
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HOPICS outreach worker Ralph Gomez tosses a clipboard for a signature to homeless client Davis Soto, right, taking care to stay at least six feet away during outreach in Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
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Medical personnel screen patients outside the emergency room at Loma Linda University Health during the coronavirus pandemic. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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A nurse takes the vital signs of a woman in a medical tent outside the hospital on Catalina. (Francine Orr/Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
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An employee of the Trader Joe’s store in Monrovia tells customers waiting in line that it would open doors to everyone at 9 a.m., not just seniors, who arrived believing doors would open earlier to older residents, as some of the people were told by employees and it was reported. Some grocery outlets were offering special morning hours of shopping to accommodate older residents. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
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Kevin Ezeh, protected with face mask and gloves, addresses the Los Angeles City Council meeting standing under a tent erected outside City Hall. A television livestreamed video of the meeting and the public offered comments remotely. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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Orange County Undersheriff Bob Peterson listens during a board of supervisors discussion on combating the coronavirus in Santa Ana. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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Dr. Mark V. Morocco oversees the testing at UCLA Medical Center. Testing for Covid-19 is going on at UCLA Medical Center, where people can drive up and get tested if they have the symptoms. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)
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A large tent is installed for public attendance at Tuesday’s Los Angeles City Council meeting. The public was not allowed in the council chamber. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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Shoppers queue up ahead of the Los Feliz Costco opening for business on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 in Los Angeles. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
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Muhammad Faruq, an Uber driver, picks his ride Sotero Reyes, left, and Cristian Eguia, visitors from Houston, all in protective masks, from downtown Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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Volunteer Rachel Figueroa, serves a free lunch to go to Destiny Mendez, with her mother, Estefany, at the Dream Center in Los Angeles. LAUSD students can get free breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Dream Center, Monday through Friday. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
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Emma Bradley, left, and her husband, Samuel Bradley, of Palmdale are walking up the ramp to catch the Metrolink in Union Sation in Los Angeles. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
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Medical personnel surround a car that is going through a coronavirus drive-thru test clinic at the San Mateo County Event Center. Drive-thru test clinics for COVID-19 are popping up across the country as more tests become available. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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From left, Josh Akamine, of Oahu, Hawaii; Madison Shine of Oahu; Matthew Valencia of Los Altos and Dani Ikeda visit L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
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Normally bustling Grand Central Market in downtown L.A. is open only for take out. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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L.A. has banned restaurants from offering seating at places such as Grand Central Market. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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Carlos Perez, a worker at Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles sits in the empty restaurant. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
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A line at the Martin B. Retting gun store in Culver City on Sunday extends out the door and around the corner. (Francine Orr / The Times)
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A guest wears a mask in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland on Thursday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Students hug as they are let out of school at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 13, 2020. The school has 2,623 students who live in 94 different zip codes, some of whom travel upwards of 30 miles to school on 24 different school bus routes. 221 school staff live in 88 zip codes. Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner announced that schools will be closed due to the coronavirus. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
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Blake Anderson, left, a freshman, walks with his father Oree Anderson, as school is let out at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles. LAUSD announced that schools will be closed due to the Coronavirus. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
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Students leave John C. Fremont High School in Los Angeles at the end of the school day on Friday, Mar. 13, 2020. LAUSD announced it will shut down beginning Monday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times )
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Alexandria Casserly crosses the street while looking for toilet paper in downtown Los Angeles. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)
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A crew member stands on the stern of a cruise ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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Two children look at movie posters in the lobby of the Arclight theater Thursday in Manhattan Beach. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Disneyland guests wearing ponchos pass the Marketplace inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on Thursday. Disneyland and California Adventure will temporarily close in response to the coronavirus pandemic. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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People shop at the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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Disneyland guests take photos in front of the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Airline workers take precautions at Tom Bradley International Terminal in Los Angeles on Thursday. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
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An airport worker cleans a railing at Tom Bradley International Terminal. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
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Two people arrive at Knott’s Berry Farm on Thursday in Buena Park. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Cab drivers wait for riders at the Long Beach Airport. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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The Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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A woman claims her luggage at he Long Beach Airport. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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The Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
By signing a declaration under the Defense Production Act, Trump can direct private industries to churn out protective masks and gowns for hospital workers, as well as ventilators needed to keep critically ill patients alive. He said he’ll use the powers only if necessary, but healthcare officials have repeatedly warned that stockpiles of medical equipment could be wiped out as coronavirus-related infections mount.
“There’s never been an instance like this where no matter what you have, it’s not enough,” Trump said at the White House, where he’s been leading daily briefings on the pandemic. Trump said the federal government has “massive numbers of ventilators.” Vice President Mike Pence pegged the number at 10,000. Experts predict there won’t be enough.
The Defense Production Act dates to the Korean War, and more recently it’s been used to ensure a steady supply of ballistic material for body armor and armor plating for vehicles. At the news conference where he announced he would invoke the authority, Trump described himself as a “wartime president” and compared the mobilization to fight the coronavirus to World War II.
“Now it’s our time,” he said, recalling how workers in the 1940s slept on factory floors to keep production lines moving for military hardware. “We must sacrifice together because we’re all in this together.”
The coronavirus is primarily a threat to the elderly and those with underlying health problems, but there are new signs that young people remain vulnerable.
Dr. Deborah Birx, who is coordinating the federal government’s response to the coronavirus, warned Wednesday that “there are concerning reports coming out of France and Italy about some young people getting seriously ill and very seriously ill in the ICUs.”
She repeated her appeals to young people to stop eating out or gathering in public places, both to keep themselves safe and to avoid spreading the virus to older people.
First Lady Melania Trump and top health officials will appear in nationally broadcast public service announcements to talk about how Americans can avoid contracting and spreading the virus, the White House announced Wednesday.
The latest legislation approved by the Senate and signed by Trump enacts paid sick leave for more American workers, helping people stay home rather than risk spreading the virus. The measure, the second to be passed by Congress in response to the pandemic, also boosts funding for food programs and unemployment benefits.
“There’s a great bipartisan effort going on that I haven’t really seen before to this extent,” Trump said.
Thomas Donohue, the chief executive of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said his organization “applauds congressional leaders for moving quickly to pass a strong, bipartisan coronavirus response package that will provide immediate relief to American workers and families during this unprecedented time.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said his caucus was continuing to work with the White House on a third stimulus package, which is expected to top $1 trillion.
“Republicans hope shortly to have a consolidated position along with the administration,” he said. “And then we intend to sit down with our Democratic colleagues and see what we can agree to.”
McConnell added: “Just how long it will take to get through these steps is unclear. But as everyone knows, we are moving rapidly because the situation demands it.”
The centerpiece of the third measure would be two rounds of $250-billion payments to Americans to help make up for lost wages and provide some spending money, according to a Treasury Department outline obtained by the Washington Post and others.
It’s unclear who would be eligible for payments or how much they would be, but some Republican senators have floated $1,000 as a starting point.
The Treasury outline includes $300 billion in loans for businesses with 500 employees or fewer. Companies would be eligible as long as they continue paying employees for eight weeks.
The federal government would also provide $50 billion in loans to the airline industry, which has seen disruptions to its business greater than after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and an additional $150 billion for other “severely distressed sectors.”
“We are looking at different numbers,” Trump said at the White House briefing. “Everyone seems to want to go big.”
The numbers are comparable to legislation approved during the Great Recession, when Congress approved a $700-billion bailout for banks in 2008 and an $800-billion stimulus package in 2009.
Senate Democrats have already outlined their own proposals totaling $750 billion, including a massive investment in public health infrastructure such as hospital beds and equipment, funding child care for healthcare workers battling the pandemic, and boosting unemployment insurance.
Even as Washington scrambles to tackle the coronavirus, the economy continued lurching toward a recession. The stock market has lost virtually all gains since Trump took office more than three years ago, and the country’s three largest automakers reportedly decided to pause construction of new vehicles. Restaurants, bookstores and coffee shops are shedding workers as customers followed the government’s advice to stay home to avoid contracting the coronavirus, and more layoffs were expected.
“There is something much worse about this crisis that we face. I have never sensed a greater sense of uncertainty, a greater fear of the future, of the unknown,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. “We don’t know how long this crisis will last.”
Times staff writers Noah Bierman, Liam Dillon and Don Lee contributed to this report.
