Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Trump's Remarks at Signing of H.R.748, The CARES Act
This might set a record.
REMARKS
Remarks by President Trump at Signing of H.R.748, The CARES Act
HEALTHCARE
Issued on: March 27, 2020
Oval Office
4:10 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you all very much. This is a very important day. I’ll sign the single-biggest economic relief package in American history and, I must say, or any other package, by the way. It’s twice as large as any relief ever signed. It’s $2.2 billion, but it actually goes up to 6.2 — potentially — billion dollars — trillion dollars. So you’re talking about 6.2 trillion-dollar bill. Nothing like that. And this will deliver urgently needed relief to our nation’s families, workers, and businesses. And that’s what this is all about.
And it got a 96 to nothing. And, I don’t know, what was the number in Congress?
PARTICIPANT: A voice vote.
THE PRESIDENT: A voice? It was fantastic.
{snip}
LEADER MCCARTHY: Yeah, I do want to start. I want to thank all — the real — the real answer to America is: We’re listening to you. You do your part, and we’re going to do ours, and that’s exactly what’s happening today.
What Leader McConnell did was amazing. He made it bipartisan, bicameral. Everybody was involved. I wish we could have signed this earlier this week; maybe there wouldn’t be as many people who are out of work. But this will put people back to work.
I also want to thank Secretary Mnuchin. You’ve done an amazing job, and we thank you for that, and all the team that’s here.
Look, as I said in my speech, the virus is here. We didn’t ask for it. We didn’t invite it. We didn’t choose it. But we are going to defeat it together because we’re going to work together, and this is the first start of it. The hospitals will get money — the money they need. The small businesses will be able to hire their employees back. That is a grant; you don’t have to borrow from that place. The other businesses get a retention to keep your employees on. This has something for everything.
And to the task force and the Vice President, all the work that you’re doing with this President, this will be the needed resources you need as well. And thank you for that, and thank you for your leadership, Mr. President.
{snip}
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Mr. President, thank you very much for your leadership and for the Vice President’s leadership. You made it very clear to us, last week, we should think big, that this was a war on the virus, and that we should have the resources to protect American workers and American business.
{snip}
SECRETARY SCALIA: This is a great day for American workers, protecting American workers, American jobs. It’s been a hallmark of this presidency, and this bill today is another very important step in that direction. It includes unprecedented support for American workers who’ve lost their jobs, through no fault of their own because of this virus, and gives them, as near as we could, the same wage they would have gotten, through unemployment insurance if they’d been able to keep their jobs, for up to four months.
I think even more important, it includes $350 billion in loans for small business, but it’s structured in a way to incentivize them to keep their workers on payroll so that those loans could be forgiven at the end of the period.
And it comes on top of legislation the President asked — signed last week for paid leave for workers who have to be at home because of the virus. Paid leave reimbursed in full, dollar for dollar, to the employers. It’s the first federal paid leave law for the private sector ever. And that also was achieved on an unprecedented, bipartisan basis.
This is the third major bipartisan piece of legislation in three weeks — three bills, three weeks — to address this virus.
So again, I want to thank the President for his leadership, his commitment to American workers, the Vice President as well, and Leader McConnell, and also my colleague, Secretary Mnuchin who did work so hard to help you get this done.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Gene, very much.
Dr. Fauci, you may want to just say for a minute what hit the world. Something hit the world, and the world maybe will never be the quite same. But we’re going to make it a great place anyway. But certainly, you could maybe say a few words about it, please.
DR. FAUCI: Well, thank you, Mr. President. And I want to thank everyone involved in this. This is what America is all about: a bipartisan approach, with your leadership, to do something that’s sorely needed by the American people.
Dr. Birx and I and all of our medical people here are fighting the virus directly. But the virus has an impact on the American people, both directly by illness and death, but also indirectly, because many of the things that we have to do to suppress the virus has a negative impact because of what we’re doing. To give them relief economically is absolutely essential.
So I feel really, really good about what’s happening today. Thank you all very much.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Tony. Thank you very much.
Deborah, perhaps you could say a few words or so about —
DR. BIRX: Well, thank you, Mr. President. Dr. Fauci covered it very well. As many of you know, I worked for him and he was my mentor 40 years ago.
I think whenever we start with one of these very serious diseases and a pandemic, the President’s first goal was ensuring the health of the American people, and that’s why we put out these very strong guidance.
It’s been a pleasure to work with the economic team here because they understand data in the same way. Economic data and health data is very similar in how you have to interpret it in a very granular way. And I think recognizing that the health of the American people is first, but the economic value of the nation is also critical.
And I just want to thank all of you for what you’ve done for the American people today.
THE PRESIDENT: Great job you’re doing too. Thank you.
Kevin, please.
REPRESENTATIVE BRADY: So just 20 days ago, I don’t know that anyone could have imagined how hard we’ve been hit medically or economically. But 20 days ago, I don’t think anyone could have imagined Congress pulling together so quickly and so forcefully behind what the President identified we needed for this country. This is a proud moment for all of us. And it’s just an example of what leadership can provide here in the White House, and then how we can respond as a Congress.
So thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership.
{snip}
REPRESENTATIVE WALDEN: I would just say, I’ve never seen you shy away from a challenge. Your leadership and your policies and this great team brought America this enormous economy. And guess what? You get to do it again. This bill is the next step in that, and we can build back this economy with your leadership and with the healthcare team you’ve got here too. We’re doing the right thing for the American people, and they know that. I can tell you that from the ground. It’s not easy. It’s not easy.
THE PRESIDENT: No, it’s not.
REPRESENTATIVE WALDEN: We don’t want to shelter in place, as Americans. We want to be out, especially northwest.
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah.
REPRESENTATIVE WALDEN: But we know we have to do this for the safety of our relatives and families and our community and our country. So thanks for your leadership —
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much.
REPRESENTATIVE WALDEN: — and the great team you’ve assembled.
THE PRESIDENT: Appreciate it very much.
REPRESENTATIVE CHABOT: On behalf of small businesses, they’re the backbone of the American economy. About half the people that work in America work for a small business, and they’re hurting out there right now. I’m from Ohio. I’m the ranking member of the House Small Business Committee. And back there, nonessential small businesses are shut down.
Without this legislation, it’s questionable whether they would reopen. Because of this legislation, they now have a great chance of that. And those people that work for small businesses, who are shuttered now, will be paid. That’s really important. This wouldn’t have passed without your leadership, Mr. President. Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. And, you know, Eric worked so hard. You all know Eric. And he was at Steve’s side the whole way. And where is our man? Do I see Larry? Yeah, Larry. The two of them. How about Eric and then Larry say a couple of words and (inaudible.)
MR. UELAND: Well, thank you very much, Mr. President. I really appreciate it, and Mr. Vice President, as well. So you encouraged your team to be bold, be brave, and go big. And we certainly delivered today. (Laughter.) $6.2 trillion is tremendous. So we’ve made sure that we can reassure Americans that their paycheck is protected and that their earnings are protected. We’ve made sure that we can provide significant reinforcement to the American economy as a result of your leadership.
And, finally, looking ahead to address the virus, we’ve included significant resources in order to ensure that those therapies and ultimately that vaccine can come online as quickly as possible. So, protecting the public health and protecting the economic health of America is what you’ve directed us to do. And together, with the team, we’ve worked hard to deliver today.
Thank you very much, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. And Steve is going to work very hard on getting the money out quickly, and hopefully it can be distributed very quickly, especially when they have some old computer equipment that they have to use. But you’re going to work on that very hard.
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: We are indeed.
THE PRESIDENT: Larry, please. Larry Kudlow.
MR. KUDLOW: Oh, thanks, sir. Just hats off to Mitch McConnell who did an amazing job, and House leadership as well. And I agree with the bipartisanship. I want to give special thanks to my friend Steven Mnuchin, who I think did an extraordinary job. We were up there helping him out in one spot or another. But he’s indefatigable and got it done.
And I’ll just say this, Mr. President: A few months ago, this economy was roaring and we’ve hit this — literally, this bug, this virus. And we will deal with it. And I think the assistance bill here, which does have growth incentives, will help lead us back to a very strong economic rebound before this year is over.
Thank you, sir.
{snip}
END
4:33 P.M. EDT
Remarks by President Trump at Signing of H.R.748, The CARES Act
HEALTHCARE
Issued on: March 27, 2020
Oval Office
4:10 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you all very much. This is a very important day. I’ll sign the single-biggest economic relief package in American history and, I must say, or any other package, by the way. It’s twice as large as any relief ever signed. It’s $2.2 billion, but it actually goes up to 6.2 — potentially — billion dollars — trillion dollars. So you’re talking about 6.2 trillion-dollar bill. Nothing like that. And this will deliver urgently needed relief to our nation’s families, workers, and businesses. And that’s what this is all about.
And it got a 96 to nothing. And, I don’t know, what was the number in Congress?
PARTICIPANT: A voice vote.
THE PRESIDENT: A voice? It was fantastic.
{snip}
LEADER MCCARTHY: Yeah, I do want to start. I want to thank all — the real — the real answer to America is: We’re listening to you. You do your part, and we’re going to do ours, and that’s exactly what’s happening today.
What Leader McConnell did was amazing. He made it bipartisan, bicameral. Everybody was involved. I wish we could have signed this earlier this week; maybe there wouldn’t be as many people who are out of work. But this will put people back to work.
I also want to thank Secretary Mnuchin. You’ve done an amazing job, and we thank you for that, and all the team that’s here.
Look, as I said in my speech, the virus is here. We didn’t ask for it. We didn’t invite it. We didn’t choose it. But we are going to defeat it together because we’re going to work together, and this is the first start of it. The hospitals will get money — the money they need. The small businesses will be able to hire their employees back. That is a grant; you don’t have to borrow from that place. The other businesses get a retention to keep your employees on. This has something for everything.
And to the task force and the Vice President, all the work that you’re doing with this President, this will be the needed resources you need as well. And thank you for that, and thank you for your leadership, Mr. President.
{snip}
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: Mr. President, thank you very much for your leadership and for the Vice President’s leadership. You made it very clear to us, last week, we should think big, that this was a war on the virus, and that we should have the resources to protect American workers and American business.
{snip}
SECRETARY SCALIA: This is a great day for American workers, protecting American workers, American jobs. It’s been a hallmark of this presidency, and this bill today is another very important step in that direction. It includes unprecedented support for American workers who’ve lost their jobs, through no fault of their own because of this virus, and gives them, as near as we could, the same wage they would have gotten, through unemployment insurance if they’d been able to keep their jobs, for up to four months.
I think even more important, it includes $350 billion in loans for small business, but it’s structured in a way to incentivize them to keep their workers on payroll so that those loans could be forgiven at the end of the period.
And it comes on top of legislation the President asked — signed last week for paid leave for workers who have to be at home because of the virus. Paid leave reimbursed in full, dollar for dollar, to the employers. It’s the first federal paid leave law for the private sector ever. And that also was achieved on an unprecedented, bipartisan basis.
This is the third major bipartisan piece of legislation in three weeks — three bills, three weeks — to address this virus.
So again, I want to thank the President for his leadership, his commitment to American workers, the Vice President as well, and Leader McConnell, and also my colleague, Secretary Mnuchin who did work so hard to help you get this done.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Gene, very much.
Dr. Fauci, you may want to just say for a minute what hit the world. Something hit the world, and the world maybe will never be the quite same. But we’re going to make it a great place anyway. But certainly, you could maybe say a few words about it, please.
DR. FAUCI: Well, thank you, Mr. President. And I want to thank everyone involved in this. This is what America is all about: a bipartisan approach, with your leadership, to do something that’s sorely needed by the American people.
Dr. Birx and I and all of our medical people here are fighting the virus directly. But the virus has an impact on the American people, both directly by illness and death, but also indirectly, because many of the things that we have to do to suppress the virus has a negative impact because of what we’re doing. To give them relief economically is absolutely essential.
So I feel really, really good about what’s happening today. Thank you all very much.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Tony. Thank you very much.
Deborah, perhaps you could say a few words or so about —
DR. BIRX: Well, thank you, Mr. President. Dr. Fauci covered it very well. As many of you know, I worked for him and he was my mentor 40 years ago.
I think whenever we start with one of these very serious diseases and a pandemic, the President’s first goal was ensuring the health of the American people, and that’s why we put out these very strong guidance.
It’s been a pleasure to work with the economic team here because they understand data in the same way. Economic data and health data is very similar in how you have to interpret it in a very granular way. And I think recognizing that the health of the American people is first, but the economic value of the nation is also critical.
And I just want to thank all of you for what you’ve done for the American people today.
THE PRESIDENT: Great job you’re doing too. Thank you.
Kevin, please.
REPRESENTATIVE BRADY: So just 20 days ago, I don’t know that anyone could have imagined how hard we’ve been hit medically or economically. But 20 days ago, I don’t think anyone could have imagined Congress pulling together so quickly and so forcefully behind what the President identified we needed for this country. This is a proud moment for all of us. And it’s just an example of what leadership can provide here in the White House, and then how we can respond as a Congress.
So thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership.
{snip}
REPRESENTATIVE WALDEN: I would just say, I’ve never seen you shy away from a challenge. Your leadership and your policies and this great team brought America this enormous economy. And guess what? You get to do it again. This bill is the next step in that, and we can build back this economy with your leadership and with the healthcare team you’ve got here too. We’re doing the right thing for the American people, and they know that. I can tell you that from the ground. It’s not easy. It’s not easy.
THE PRESIDENT: No, it’s not.
REPRESENTATIVE WALDEN: We don’t want to shelter in place, as Americans. We want to be out, especially northwest.
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah.
REPRESENTATIVE WALDEN: But we know we have to do this for the safety of our relatives and families and our community and our country. So thanks for your leadership —
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much.
REPRESENTATIVE WALDEN: — and the great team you’ve assembled.
THE PRESIDENT: Appreciate it very much.
REPRESENTATIVE CHABOT: On behalf of small businesses, they’re the backbone of the American economy. About half the people that work in America work for a small business, and they’re hurting out there right now. I’m from Ohio. I’m the ranking member of the House Small Business Committee. And back there, nonessential small businesses are shut down.
Without this legislation, it’s questionable whether they would reopen. Because of this legislation, they now have a great chance of that. And those people that work for small businesses, who are shuttered now, will be paid. That’s really important. This wouldn’t have passed without your leadership, Mr. President. Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. And, you know, Eric worked so hard. You all know Eric. And he was at Steve’s side the whole way. And where is our man? Do I see Larry? Yeah, Larry. The two of them. How about Eric and then Larry say a couple of words and (inaudible.)
MR. UELAND: Well, thank you very much, Mr. President. I really appreciate it, and Mr. Vice President, as well. So you encouraged your team to be bold, be brave, and go big. And we certainly delivered today. (Laughter.) $6.2 trillion is tremendous. So we’ve made sure that we can reassure Americans that their paycheck is protected and that their earnings are protected. We’ve made sure that we can provide significant reinforcement to the American economy as a result of your leadership.
And, finally, looking ahead to address the virus, we’ve included significant resources in order to ensure that those therapies and ultimately that vaccine can come online as quickly as possible. So, protecting the public health and protecting the economic health of America is what you’ve directed us to do. And together, with the team, we’ve worked hard to deliver today.
Thank you very much, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. And Steve is going to work very hard on getting the money out quickly, and hopefully it can be distributed very quickly, especially when they have some old computer equipment that they have to use. But you’re going to work on that very hard.
SECRETARY MNUCHIN: We are indeed.
THE PRESIDENT: Larry, please. Larry Kudlow.
MR. KUDLOW: Oh, thanks, sir. Just hats off to Mitch McConnell who did an amazing job, and House leadership as well. And I agree with the bipartisanship. I want to give special thanks to my friend Steven Mnuchin, who I think did an extraordinary job. We were up there helping him out in one spot or another. But he’s indefatigable and got it done.
And I’ll just say this, Mr. President: A few months ago, this economy was roaring and we’ve hit this — literally, this bug, this virus. And we will deal with it. And I think the assistance bill here, which does have growth incentives, will help lead us back to a very strong economic rebound before this year is over.
Thank you, sir.
{snip}
END
4:33 P.M. EDT
