One day after President Donald Trump’s oval office address on the coronavirus, Sen. Thom Tillis is praising him for what he calls “decisive leadership.”

Tillis, a Republican, says the president’s decision to restrict travel from Europe was the "right call." He also praised the previously-announced restriction on travel from China.

During his address, Mr. Trump made a handful of claims about his administration’s response to the coronavirus that the White House had to quickly correct. For example, unlike what the president said, his plan does not include blocking cargo from Europe.

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Some have criticized the president for comments seen as downplaying the seriousness of the virus. Earlier this week, Mr. Trump said, “Just stay calm. It will go away.”

Asked whether the president has displayed effective leadership during the outbreak, Tillis said, “I think you can go back to any crisis that we’ve dealt with with any president and look at things they could have done better. We learn from this and we improve on it.”

“But I think second-guessing the president’s decision on travel bans is not productive,” he said.

 

Test Kits

On Wednesday, Tillis joined with two House lawmakers in drafting a letter to the Vice President, urging the Trump administration to send additional coronavirus test kit supplies to North Carolina.

The letter notes that the resources North Carolina currently has are “not yet adequate for the expected demand.”

In an interview Thursday, Tillis said they have received “assurances that the test kits are getting out there.”

“We have our challenges. We’re continuing to ramp up production,” he said.

Rep. David Price, a Democrat, and Rep. Richard Hudson, a Republican, also signed onto the letter to the vice president.

Price said the Trump administration has "botched" the rollout and distribution of test kits. "If you're going to protect people and detect the spread of the virus, you're going to have to do widespread testing."

Speaking before lawmakers Thursday, one of the country’s top health experts conceded the United States is failing on coronavirus testing.

“The system is not really geared to what we need right now … that is a failing,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Fauci is a member of the White House's coronavirus task force.

“The idea of anybody getting [a test] easily the way people in other country are doing it, we’re not set up for that. Do I think we should be? Yes. But we’re not,” Fauci said.

 

Economic Aid Package

With Wall Street in the red, lawmakers spent Thursday debating next steps on how to respond to the outbreak, including how to manage the economic impact. The Dow Jones lost more than 2,300 points Thursday.

Democratic leaders drafted a bill aimed that includes provisions shoring up food assistance program, paid sick leave, and unemployment insurance. 

Price argued it is essential that Congress step in to help vulnerable populations.

“So they don’t come to work when they shouldn’t be at work, so they don’t have an economic hardship for doing the right thing to protect themselves and other people,” he said.

Aspects of the Democratic bill faced pushback from the White House and Republicans, prompting further negotiations.

The U.S. Senate is canceling next week’s pre-scheduled recess, allowing them time to finalize the aid package.