CONTAIN THE OUTBREAK. JOINING US RIGHT NOW IS GEORGIA
SENATOR, BUDGET COMMITTEE AND
BANKING COMMITTEE MEMBER DAVID
PURDUE AND SENATOR, GOOD TO SEE
YOU THIS MORNING.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> GOOD MORNING, MARIA.
MARIA: YOU’LL BE TRAVELING WITH
THE PRESIDENT TOMORROW TO
GEORGIA TO VISIT THE CDC.
BEFORE WE GET TO THAT VISIT AND
WHAT YOU’RE EXPECTING, ARE YOU
EXPECTING THE SENATE TO PASS
THIS BILL?
THIS BILL? >> OH, I THINK SO, ABSOLUTELY.
I THINK WHAT WE’RE SEE, MARIA,
WHEN YOU HAVE STRONG LEADERSHIP
FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, CONGRESS
CAN ACTUALLY ACT IN A SITUATION
OF SERIOUSNESS LIKE THIS.
BUT I GIVE PRESIDENT TRUMP A LOT
OF CREDIT.
OF CREDIT. HE RECOGNIZED EARLY THIS COULD
BE SERIOUS.
BE SERIOUS. AND HE AND VICE PRESIDENT PENCE
HAVE MOBILEIZED AND MOVED.
WE GET UPDATES PRETTY MUCH EVERY
DAY.
DAY. I THINK WE GAINED A COUPLE OF
MONTHS, ACTUALLY, BECAUSE OF THE
EARLY MOVES WE MADE ABOUT
QUARANTINES AND TRAVEL
LIMITATIONS AND SO FORTH AND
WE’RE EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ABOUT
HOW TO STAY HEALTHY AND HOW TO
DEFEND OURSELVES AGAINST THIS
VIRUS.
VIRUS. MARIA: YOU’RE GOING TO BE WITH
THE PRESIDENT TODAY GOING TO THE
CDC.
CDC. WHAT’S THE STORY WITH THE CDC?
BECAUSE THERE’S BEEN SOME
SERIOUS INCOMPETENCE THERE.
THE CDC FIRST SENDS OUT ALL
THESE TEST KITS TO THE 50 STATES
AND THEN THEY CALL THEM BACK AND
SAY WAIT, DON’T TEST ANYBODY,
THE KITS ARE DEFECTIVE.
DO WE HAVE THE KITS IN PLACE NOW
AND DO YOU SEE ISSUES IN THE CDC
IN TERMS OF HANDLING THIS?
>> WELL, FIRST OF AUTOMOBILE I’M
EXTREMELY PROUD TO HAVE THE CDC
IN GEORGIA.
IN GEORGIA. THEY’VE BEEN A STALWART OVER THE
POTENTIAL PANDEMICS.
POTENTIAL PANDEMICS. I GIVE PRESIDENT -- VICE
PRESIDENT PENCE CREDIT ON THIS
TOO.
TOO. WE HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO DO
OVER 1.5 MILLION TESTS RIGHT
NOW.
NOW. SO I THINK THEY MOVED ON THAT
VERY QUICKLY, THE CDC HAS.
THE NIH IS GETTING ADDITIONAL
FUNDING.
FUNDING. THAT’S ALMOST 10% INCREASE IN
THE NIH RESEARCH BUDGET IS WHAT
WE’RE DOING IN THE SUPPLEMENTAL.
THIS 8.3 IS A LOT OF MONEY AND
FOR SOMEBODY LIKE ME THAT’S A
FISCAL HAWK, IT’S A
SERIOUS ISSUE TO PUT THAT MUCH
MONEY AT THIS BUT I THINK WHAT
THE WHITE HOUSE IS ASKING US TO
DO IS TO PUT ENOUGH MONEY ASIDE
SO WE DON’T HAVE TO BE HERE
EVERY TWO OR THREE MONTHS TRYING
TO APPROPRIATE MONEY TO SOLVE
THE CRISIS.
THE CRISIS. >> SENATOR, STEVE FORBES HERE.
IN TERMS OF MEASURES BEING
TAKEN, IS THERE DISCUSSIONS AT
LEAST BEHIND THE SCENES THAT WE
MAY HAVE TO DO QUARANTINES IN
CERTAIN PARTS OF THE COUNTRY?
I THINK THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SORT
OF EXPECT THAT MAJOR
INCONVENIENCES TO USE A MILD
WORD ARE IN STORE FOR THIS.
IS THE CDC AND THE FDA, DO THEY
HAVE PLANS TO IMPOSE QUARANTINES
IF NECESSARY WHERE WE JUST DON’T
MOVE?
MOVE? >> WE’VE ALREADY DONE SOME OF
THAT WITH FLIGHTS THAT CAME BACK
EARLY IN THIS PROCESS.
>> I MEAN HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES, CERTAIN PARTS OF THE
COUNTRY JUST NOT ALLOWED TO
LEAVE FOR A WHILE.
>> THERE ARE PLANS IN PLACE AS
THIS THING MIGHT ESCALATE.
LET’S KEEP IT IN PERSPECTIVE.
IN THIS FLU SEASON AS YOU KNOW,
WE HAD 32 MILLION NORMAL FLU
CASES AND 18,000 DEATHS ALREADY.
THAT’S TRAINING.
THAT’S TRAINING. HERE WE HAVE 160 CASES AND 11
TRAGIC DEATHS.
TRAGIC DEATHS. WITH THOSE NUMBERS, THE
PRESIDENT, THE VICE PRESIDENT
AND ALL OF THE PROFESSIONALS
HERE, THIS IS A BIPARTISAN
APPROACH.
APPROACH. EVERYBODY IS ON NOTICE THAT MAKE
SURE -- TO MAKE SURE WE’RE READY
FOR ANY RESULTS IN THIS THING,
INCLUDING PLANS FOR QUARANTINES
OR TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS OR
WHATEVER WE HAVE TO DO TO
CONTAIN THIS IN THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES. DAGEN: SENATOR, IT’S DAGEN
McDOWELL.
McDOWELL. DO YOU THINK THAT THIS VIRUS
OUTBREAK IN THE UNITED STATES IS
A REASON TO MAKE SURE THAT IN
ANNUAL BUDGETS THAT THE CDC AND
THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF
HEALTH ARE FUNDED BETTER THAN AT
LEAST WAS PROJECTED IN THE
PRESIDENT’S BUDGET FROM EARLIER
THIS YEAR.
THIS YEAR. I KNOW THAT’S JUST A BLUEPRINT
AND A PLAN BUT THERE WERE CUTS
TO THE CDC, WERE THERE NOT.
>> YES.
>> YES. MERE’S A BIGGER ISSUE.
YOU TALKED ABOUT IT BEFORE, SO
HAVE I.
HAVE I. GO BACK TO THE DISASTER RELIEF
AROUND THE HURRICANES IN THE
SOUTHEAST, THE FIRES IN
CALIFORNIA.
CALIFORNIA. WHAT WE NEED IN OUR FEDERAL
BUDGET IS A CONTINGENCY PLAN,
CONTINGENCY BUDGET FOR THESE
THINGS.
THINGS. MOST STATES HAVE THAT.
MOST BUSINESSES HAVE THAT.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMES
OVER HERE, WE BORROW MORE MONEY
AND SPEND IT IN THE EMERGENCIES.
WE NEED A CONTINGENCY PLAN TO
DEAL WITH THESE THINGS.
WITH REGARD TO NIH, I THINK WE
NEED MORE FUNDING THERE.
HERE’S THE ISSUE.
CANCER, DIABETES AND ALZHEIMER’S
ARE THE THREE MOST EXPENSIVE
DISEASES WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.
WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THOSE IN A
WAY WE HAVEN’T BEEN IN THE PAST.
AND IN A WAY THAT I THINK RIGHT
NOW WE CAN PREPARE FOR THESE
UNEXPECTED EMERGENCIES LIKE THIS
BY HAVING A CONTINGENCY PLAN.
MARIA: LET ME ASK YOU THIS
BEFORE YOU GO.
DOES THE GOVERNMENT HAVE ANY
PLANS TO USE THE MILITARY TO SET
UP TEMPORARY CLINICS AND
HOSPITALS, SHOULD THEY BE
NEEDED, GIVEN THE FACT THAT
THERE COULD BE A SHORTAGE OF
BEDS?
BEDS? >> WELL, WE’VE HAD IT
HISTORICALLY, WE’VE HAD NATIONAL
GUARD MOBILIZE WITH ISSUES.
THE PROFESSIONALS ARE ADVISING
THE WHITE HOUSE AND CONGRESS
ABOUT ALL THE CONTINGENCY
OPERATIONS THAT MAY BE
NECESSARY.
NECESSARY. I THINK IT’S WAY TOO EARLY TO
TALK ABOUT THAT SORT OF THING
BUT I WILL SAY THIS TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
AMERICAN PEOPLE. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AROUND
THE WORLD.
THE WORLD. WE’VE GOT SOMETHING LIKE 95,000
CASES.
CASES. BUT OVER 90% OF THOSE CASES ARE
STILL ISOLATED IN CHINA.
LET’S KEEP IT IN PERSPECTIVE.
WE’RE PREPARING FOR THE WORST TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE PROTECT THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. MARIA: SENATOR, THANKS VERY
MUCH.
MUCH. WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE UPDATE