WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has invoked rarely used emergency powers to marshal critical medical supplies against the coronavirus pandemic. Trump has also signed an aid package, approved earlier Wednesday by the Senate, that will guarantee sick leave to workers who fall ill.
Trump’s authority under the 70-year-old Defense Production Act gives the government more power to steer production by private companies and try to overcome shortages in masks, ventilators and other supplies.
The Canada-U.S. border, the world’s longest, was effectively closed, save for commerce and essential travel. Meanwhile, the administration is pushing its plan to send relief checks to millions of Americans.
