DAYS IS UP FROM THE TIME THEY STARTED THIS IMAGINARY CLOCK.
REPUBLICAN MARYLAND GOVERNOR
LARRY HOGAN.
LARRY HOGAN. THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME.
I GUESS I WANT TO START WITH
WHAT YOU NEED AS A GOVERNOR IN
MARYLAND, WHAT ARE THE NEEDS YOU
HAVE NOW?
HAVE NOW? ARE THE MOST PRESSING NEEDS?
>> WELL, MY NEEDLES ARE THES ARE
AS EVERY GOVERNOR IN AMERICA.
WE HAD OUR SEVENTH PHONE CALL
TODAY WITH THE NATION’S
GOVERNORS AS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
THE SAME KINDS OF THINGS YOU
WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT IN YOUR
LEAD IN.
LEAD IN. EVERYBODY IS SHORT ON TESTING,
ON ALL OF THE VARIOUS THINGS
LIKE RESPIRATORS AND MASKS AND
WE ALL GOT REQUESTS TO THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND ALL OF
THE STATES ARE TAKING ACTION TO
FIND THESE ON OUR OWN AND ALSO
PUSHING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
TO GET MORE HELP.
NOW, THE GOOD NEWS IS WE ARE
STARTING TO GET SOME AFTER NOT
GETTING A LOT.
SO, YOU KNOW, MANY OF THE STATES
HAVE NOW GOT A PORTION OF THE
REQUESTS.
REQUESTS. YOU TALK ABOUT THE GOVERNOR
GETTING A SMALL PORTION.
WE GOT SOME OF OUR REQUESTS IN
MARYLAND AS MOST GOVERNORS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
MOST OF THE VOLUME IS GOING TO
THE STATES WITH THE BIGGEST
PROBLEM LIKE NEW YORK AND
CALIFORNIA AND WASHINGTON.
BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THERE
REALLY IS A SHORTAGE NATIONWIDE.
GOVERNORS ARE TRYING TO DO
EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO STEP UP
AND RESPOND AND WE’RE ALSO
PRESSING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
TO PROVIDE MORE ASSISTANCE TO US
AND TO GET SOME OF THESE THINGS
OUT HERE TO US IN THE STATES ON
THE FRONT LINES.
>> YEAH, I GUESS ON THIS
COORDINATION QUESTION, THERE IS
TWO ISSUES HERE.
THERE’S A SUPPLY LIMIT.
THAT’S THE REAL PROBLEM.
WE JUST DO NOT PHYSICALLY HAVE
ENOUGH VENTILATORS IN THE
COUNTRY AT THE MOMENT AND HOW
YOU PORTION THEM IS A GRILL KIND
OF TRIAGE, RIGHT, BETWEEN THE
STATES BECAUSE THE LIFE OF
SOMEONE FROM MARYLAND IS AS
IMPORTANT AS THE PERSON IN NEW
YORK BUT IF YOU’RE IN MARYLAND,
YOU WANT IT FOR YOUR CITIZEN.
HOW IS THAT BEING WORKED OUT?
>> FEMA, NOW AS OF LAST THURSDAY
OR FRIDAY IS IN CHARGE OF TRYING
TO GET THOSE LIMITED SUPPLIES
OUT TO ALL OF THE STATES AND
WHILE NO STATE GOT THEIR FULL
REQUEST OR NOBODY WAS ABLE TO
GET THE KINDS OF SUPPLIES THAT
THEY NEEDED, THERE WAS A PORTION
TO ALL OF THE STATES AND NONE OF
IT WAS ADEQUATE ENOUGH AND WE’RE
ALL TRYING TO SUPPLEMENT THAT
WITH OUR OWN INDIVIDUAL
ACTIVITIES ON THE OPEN MARKET,
BOTH DOMESTICALLY AND FROM OTHER
PLACES AROUND THE WORLD BUT, YOU
KNOW, IT JUST -- IT’S NOT THAT
HELPFUL TO POINT AT WHERE THE
THING BROKE DOWN.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS RIGHT NOW IN
AMERICA, WE DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH
SUPPLIES AND WE’RE TRYING TO GET
THE GOVERNORS ARE TRYING TO GET
BOTH THE FEDERAL RESPONSE RAMPED
UP BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, JUST
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY FOR
THE FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS TO GET ON THE SAME
PAGE.
PAGE. WE’RE ALL JUST TRYING TO SAVE
PEOPLE’S LIVES.
PEOPLE’S LIVES. THAT THE REALLY WHERE WE ARE AT
THIS POINT.
THIS POINT. NOT WHAT DID WE DO WRONG
YESTERDAY BUT WHAT CAN WE DO
TODAY AND TOMORROW TO TRY TO DO
A BETTER JOB?
>> LET ME ASK YOU THIS
COORDINATION QUESTION AND THEN I
WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE
DECISIONS YOU’RE MAKING THERE.
YOU TALKED ABOUT THE NATIONAL
GOVERNOR’S ASSOCIATION.
GOVERNOR’S ASSOCIATION. IS THERE, LIKE, A DAILY CALL?
IS THERE A CALL THAT THE
GOVERNORS ARE ALL ON EVERY DAY
AND WHO IS ENGINEERING THAT?
DOES THAT -- BECAUSE RIGHT NOW
YOU HAVE THIS SITUATION WHERE
IT’S ALMOST LIKE A TIME
TRAVELING SITUATION, RIGHT?
ANDREW CUOMO CAN TALK TO FOLKS
BACK IN MINNESOTA OR MICHIGAN
AND SAY LOOK, WE’RE TWO WEEKS
AHEAD OF YOU, HERE IS WHAT WE
NEED.
NEED. THERE IS COMMUNICATION THAT CAN
HAPPEN THERE.
HAPPEN THERE. >> NO, THAT’S ONE OF THE FEW
THINGS THAT’S WORKING REALLY
WELL.
WELL. I’M THE CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL
GOVERNOR’S -- GOVERNOR CUOMO IS
THE VICE CHAIRMAN.
WE HAD ON GOING DISCUSSIONS WITH
ALL OF AMERICA’S GOVERNORS, IN
SOME CASES MORE THAN 50.
WE HAVE 55 INCLUDING THE
TERRITORIES.
TERRITORIES. WE TYPICALLY HAVE NEARLY ALL OF
THEM ON THE CALL AND ANOTHER ONE
THIS AFTERNOON AND ANOTHER ONE
TOMORROW WITH THE PRESIDENT AND
VICE PRESIDENT AND LEADERS IN
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. THEY’RE NOT ON ALL OF THE CALLS.
IN ADDITION TO THOSE FORMAL ON
GOING DISCUSSIONS WHERE THERE
REALLY IS GREAT COLLABORATION
AND SHARING OF INFORMATION AND
IDEAS BETWEEN THE STATES AND
QUITE FRANKLY, IT’S BEEN
TREMENDOUS TO SEE THE BIPARTISAN
COOPERATION AMONG THE GOVERNORS,
WE’RE ALSO HAVING LOTS OF ONE ON
ONE DISCUSSIONS AND PHONE CALLS
AND TEXTS BACK AND FORTH.
I’VE BEEN TALKING TO DOZENS OF
MY COLLEAGUES ON BOTH SIDES OF
THE ISLE HERE IS WHAT IS
HAPPENING IN OUR STATE.
HOW ARE YOU DEALING WITH THIS?
HOW WILL WE FIX THIS?
SO, YOU KNOW, IT’S A PROBLEM
WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER AND
IT’S AMAZING BUT THERE’S NOT A
LOT OF REPUBLICAN DEMOCRAT STUFF
GOING ON.
GOING ON. IT ABOUT HEY, WHAT CAN WE DO TO
HELP ONE ANOTHER?
>> THE PRESIDENT SEEMS OBVIOUSLY
ANXIOUS TO SORT OF REOPEN THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. HE’S REITERATED THAT HE TALKED
ABOUT AT EASTER POSSIBILITY.
TODAY HE TWEETED AND BASICALLY
SAID IT WAS THE MEDIA THAT WAS
THE DOMINANT FORCE TO TRY TO GET
HIM TO CLOSE THE COUNTRY AND
CLOSE OFF THE ECONOMY SO THAT
WOULD HURT HIS REELECTION
CHANCES AND AS A GOVERNOR THAT
HAS TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS WHAT
TO OPEN AND CLOSE, IS THAT HOW
YOU’RE MAKING YOUR DECISIONS?
>> NO, NOT AT ALL.
SO WE -- LOOK.
I THINK NONE OF THAT MESSAGING
IS HELPFUL AT ALL TO ANY OF THE
GOVERNORS.
GOVERNORS. MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES ON BOTH
SIDES OF THE ISLE ARE NOT HAPPY
WITH THAT MESSAGING.
ON MONDAY, THEY WERE TALKING
ABOUT WE’RE GETTING NEAR THE END
OF THE 15 DAYS SO THAT WOULD
MEAN NEXT WEEK WE START OPENING
AND THEN A DAY OR TWO -- THEN
THE NEXT DAY, YESTERDAY, THEY
CHANGED IT TO EASTER, WHICH WAS
TWO WEEKS LATER.
ALL OF IT IS ARBITRARY.
WE’RE MAKING DECISIONS BASED ON
THE FACTS ON THE GROUND AND BY
LISTENING TO THE SCIENTISTS AND
DOCTORS IN OUR STATE.
I’M TALKING TO FOLKS AT JOHNS
HOPKINS AND UNIVERSITY OF MARA
MARYLAND
MARYLAND MARYLAND.
MARYLAND. WE’RE ALL RAMPING UP, NOT DOWN
AND NOBODY SEES THE END OF THIS
IN TWO WEEKS.
WE SEE IT AS, YOU KNOW, NOBODY
KNOWS THE EXACT NUMBERS AND
WE’RE -- AS YOU POINTED OUT
EARLIER, THE DATA IS INCOMPLETE
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE’RE GOING TO
MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON SAVING
LIVES.
LIVES. THE ECONOMY IS CRITICALLY
IMPORTANT AND WE’RE CONCERNED
ABOUT HELPING PEOPLE WHO WILL BE
OUT OF WORK AND HELPING SMALL
BUSINESSES BUT THE DECISIONS
HAVE TO BE FIRST ABOUT SAVING
LIVES AND THEN HOW ARE WE GOING
TO HELP PEOPLE GET BACK ON THEIR
FEET ECONOMICALLY.
FEET ECONOMICALLY. YOU CAN’T ARBITRARILY PICK A
DATE AND SAY EVERYTHING IS GOING
TO BE GREAT.