STOCKS INCLUDING AMAZON WHICH
IS SURGING.
THE DOW MANAGED A SLIGHT GAIN.
THE NASDAQ UP 139 POINTS IN THE
S&P 500 WAS ALSO UP-TO-DATE 16
POINTS.
THE CORONAVIRUS RIPPLE
EFFECT IS ROLLING THROUGH SOUTH
FLORIDA'S ECONOMY AND AN
EXAMPLE AND PORT MIAMI.
THE CRISIS IS DEVASTATING THE
CRUISE INDUSTRY, BUT ANOTHER
BUSINESS SUFFERING FINANCIALLY
IS THE CARGO INDUSTRY.
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF WORKERS
ARE IMPACTED AND MILLIONS OF
TONS OF GOOD ARE NOT COMING OR
GOING.
AS IT STANDS NOW, THE CARGO
SIDE OF PORT MIAMI IS DOWN 15
TO 20%.
WE ARE JOINED RIGHT NOW BY
FLORIDA CONGRESSMAN TED DEUTCH.
IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU
CONGRESSMAN.
YOU HAVE ACCEPTED AN INVITATION
TO BE ON THE PANEL OF ECONOMIC
RECOVERY.
WE WANT TO ASK YOU, PRESIDENT
TRUMP JUST ANNOUNCED NEW
GUIDELINES TO REOPEN THE
ECONOMY, TELLING GOVERNORS THEY
CAN RESTART THE PROCESS BEFORE
THE DEADLINE.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?
I DON'T THINK THAT WE CAN
SIMPLY DECLARE WHEN WE ARE
GOING TO REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT.
I WAS GLAD TO ACCEPT THE
INVITATION FROM THE PRESIDENT
TO SERVE ON THE COMMITTEE,
BECAUSE I WANTED TO ENSURE THAT
THERE IS A VOICE AT THE TABLE
THAT SAID WE NEEDED TO LISTEN
TO PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS AND
THE SCIENTISTS.
THAT IS WHAT IS SO CRITICAL
HERE.
THE ONE THING THAT WAS CLEAR
FROM TODAY IS THE VICE
PRESIDENT LAYING OUT VERY
EXPLICITLY THAT WE HAVE GOT TO
DO THIS IN A PLAYFUL AND
CAREFUL WAY.
WE NEED SUFFICIENT TESTING, WE
NEED SUFFICIENT TRACING.
WE ARE NOT THERE YET.
WHEN YOU DO WORK TOWARD THAT.
I THINK USING THESE GUIDELINES
THAT THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF PUT
OUT TODAY, NO ONE IS READY TO
DO THIS RIGHT NOW, BUT WE NEED
TO START PLANNING FOR WHAT IS
GOING TO HAPPEN TO GET THE
ECONOMY MOVING AGAIN AND TO
HELP THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
CONGRESSMAN, AMERICANS ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT THE SPREAD OF
THIS VIRUS AND THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO IT IS
NOW THE TIME EVEN FOR A WHITE
HOUSE PANEL IN JUMPSTARTING THE
ECONOMY?
I THINK IT IS ABSOLUTELY
APPROPRIATE FOR US TO START
THINKING ABOUT HOW THE ECONOMY
IS GOING TO GET MOVING AGAIN.
THAT IS WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT IS
TO DO THIS IN A PLENTIFUL WAY
TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS NOT
SOMETHING THAT IS DONE
ARBITRARILY.
I DON'T THINK THAT NOW IS THE
TIME FOR US TO SIMPLY DECLARE
THAT IT IS TIME TO START THE
ECONOMY AGAIN, TO GET BACK TO
WORK.
THAT WON'T WORK.
THAT RISKS A SPIKE IN CASES.
THAT RISKS A SPREAD OF THIS
TERRIBLE VIRUS EVEN FASTER.
BUT, IT IS APPROPRIATE FOR US
TO LISTEN TO THEM PUBLIC HEALTH
EXPERTS, TO LISTEN TO THE
SCIENTIST, AND TO REALLY FOCUS
ON RIPPING UP THE TESTING THAT
IS GOING TO BE NECESSARY FOR US
TO, NUMBER ONE, KNOW HOW FAST
THIS REALLY IS SPREADING, AND
THEN TO KNOW WHERE WE CAN START
THINKING ABOUT HOW TO COMBINE
THAT TESTING WITH TRACING TO
EASE THE ECONOMY OPEN.
NO, THIS CAN'T BE DONE IN A
HAPHAZARD WAY, ABSOLUTELY NOT.
UNEMPLOYMENT IS
SKYROCKETING.
THE SMALL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
HAS RUN OUT OF MONEY AND
NEGOTIATIONS IN WASHINGTON ARE
AT AN IMPASSE.
WHAT CAN YOU SAY TO AMERICANS
WHO ARE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND
WHY THEY ARE BEING LEFT IN THE
LURCH?
I WAS ON THE PHONE ALL DAY
TODAY AGAIN WITH SMALL BUSINESS
OWNERS WHO HAVE DONE EVERYTHING
RIGHT.
THEY KEPT EMPLOYEES WORKING,
THEY KEPT PAYING THEM EVEN
THOUGH THEIR BUSINESSES ARE
CLOSED AND THEY QUALIFY FOR THE
PPP LOANS.
WE NEED TO INCREASE THE FUNDING
SO THAT THEY CAN GET WHAT THEY
NEED TO HELP GET THROUGH THIS
STORM.
I TALKED TODAY TO OUR OWN
LEADERSHIP INTO THE WHITE HOUSE
ABOUT THE NEED TO GET THIS
DONE.
I AM HOPEFUL THAT OVER THE NEXT
DAY OR SO WILL BE A POSITION TO
INCREASE THE FUNDING FOR THAT,
TO INCREASE THE FUNDING FOR THE
SBA LOANS, THE ECONOMIC INJURY
DISASTER LOANS, SO THAT PEOPLE
WHO ARE REALLY SUFFERING OR
ABLE TO GET WHAT THEY NEED.
THAT STOOL LEAVES OPEN THE
CHALLENGES WE HAVE IN FLORIDA
WITH OUR UNEMPLOYMENT SYSTEM,
WHICH IS STILL BROKEN AND NOT
ABLE TO REALLY ACCOMMODATE
FLORIDIANS WHO DESPERATELY NEED
THE BENEFITS THAT THEY DESERVE.
THE GOVERNOR SPOKE ABOUT
THAT THIS AFTERNOON SAYING HE
IS TRYING TO EXPEDITE IT AND HE
IS TRYING TO NOT ENFORCE THAT
RULE THAT THEY HAVE TO BE
LOOKING FOR ANOTHER JOB.
I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE LETTER
YOU WROTE TO GOVERNOR DESANTIS
EXPRESSING CONCERNS ABOUT THE
NUMBERS THAT THE STATE IS
PUTTING OUT.
SURE.
I THINK YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT
THE NUMBERS THAT TALKS ABOUT
THE NUMBER OF CASES AND WHY
WHEN WE REPORT CASES AND WE
BREAK IT DOWN TO RESIDENT AND
NONRESIDENT, WOULD REPORT THE
NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO SUCCUMB TO
THIS TERRIBLE VIRUS, WE DON'T
INCLUDE PEOPLE WHO ARE
RESIDENTS OF FLORIDA.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THAT IS.
IT IS IN EVERYONE'S INTEREST TO
BE AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE
SO THAT WE KNOW JUST HOW BAD
THIS IS.
THE MEDICAL EXAMINER SAID
RECENTLY, I THINK PEOPLE JUST
WANT TO KNOW WHO DIED IN OUR
STATE FROM COVID-19.
THEY DON'T CARE WHERE THEIR
HOME IS.
I THINK THAT IS RIGHT.
WE JUST WANT MORE TRANSPARENCY
FROM THE GOVERNOR AND I THINK