THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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White House advisers to offer policy options, including paid sick leave, for coronavirus response

White House advisers to offer policy options, including paid sick leave, for coronavirus response

WASHINGTON - White House advisers on Monday plan to present President Donald Trump with a list of policy changes they hope could stem the economic fallout of the coronavirus, including paid sick leave and emergency help for small businesses, according to a senior administration official.

The talks have accelerated as congressional Democrats begin a new legislative response of their own, which also is expected to focus on expanded paid sick leave benefits.

The menu of White House options is expected to be offered to Trump this afternoon when he returns from Florida. The list of potential ideas includes deferring taxes on specific industries hit by the coronavirus downturn, such as the hospitality and travel industries, as well as a "cashflow injection" for small businesses through the Small Business Administration.

The senior administration spoke on condition of anonymity and would not give more details about other options under consideration. The White House has faced intense pressure to arrest falling markets and stabilize an economy that investors increasingly fear may tip into recession. Many Democrats, meanwhile, are insisting that the government implement paid sick leave policies to help Americans who are forced to stay home because they are sick.

White House officials have also discussed providing funds that would be targeted to help areas of the country particularly hit by the coronavirus downturn, according to one person who recently spoke with senior aides and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.

Stock markets tanked on Monday in one of their worst days in years, with Dow Jones industrial average falling as much as 2,000 points before recovering some of its losses. The White House National Economic Council and Treasury Department have for 10 days been discussing potential measures to respond to the coronavirus's damage to the economy.

Last week, the Washington Post reported that White House officials were looking at deferring taxes for the airline, travel, and cruise industries.

The president has not signed off on any of the potential options yet.

Congress last week passed an $8.3 billion emergency spending bill that focused on medical and public health needs caused by the coronavirus outbreak, but Democrats are already working on a new bill that would seek to address the economic problems that are rapidly expanding.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., plans to meet Monday evening with key committee chairs to discuss the planning, which includes efforts to lock in paid sick leave benefits for certain workers.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, told reporters on a conference call Monday that Congress should move forward quickly.

"I believe that this is precisely the direction we need to go in. There are the economic consequences from the crisis that are of equal concern as responding on the health care side," DeLauro said.

"Everybody is trying to move at warp speed," DeLauro said, although the timing, price tag and exact contours of any legislative response is uncertain.

DeLauro has introduced legislation mandating 14 days of paid sick leave in the case of an emergency health crisis such as coronavirus, noting that most workers -- especially low-wage workers -- have no paid sick leave and thus would face difficulty complying with medical quarantine advice.

Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., laid out a list of priorities in a statement released Sunday night, including enhanced unemployment insurance; expanded food stamps and school lunch programs; widespread and free coronavirus testing; and anti-price gouging provisions .

Trump has previously floated a payroll tax cut in response to the crisis, a measure Larry Kudlow, the president's top economist, suggested last week could be ineffective. Trump continued to downplay the danger posed by coronavirus with several tweets on Monday, even as the stock market fell precipitously.

The president celebrated sharp decline in oil prices, which investors fear signal a deflationary sell-off in a bidding war between major oil-producing nations. "Good for the consumer, gasoline prices coming down!," Trump said about the decline, which experts warn could foreshadow a recession.

Trump also said on twitter: "Saudi Arabia and Russia are arguing over the price and flow of oil. That, and the Fake News, is the reason for the market drop!"

CNBC first reported on Monday that the president would be presented some options for an economic response.

 

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