WASHINGTON/GENEVA (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency over the quickly spreading coronavirus on Friday, opening the door to more federal aid to combat a disease that has infected over 138,000 people worldwide and left more than 5,000 dead.
The U.S. government’s disaster response agency placed an urgent request last week seeking contractors who can deliver portable toilets, showers, and hand-washing stations throughout in the United States within 24 hours notice, a potential sign of how the administration could be preparing to respond to a coronavirus pandemic.
A bill from Sen. Roy Blunt (R., Mo.), titled the Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act, was included in the recently passed Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, making houses of worship permanently eligible for Federal Emergency Management Public assistance grants.
Several lawmakers on Tuesday warned that emergency alerts mistakenly dispatched to cellphones across the United States put American lives at risk, just hours after a false tsunami warning was delivered to some mobile users on the East Coast.
Federal Emergency Management Agency grants meant for disaster relief ended up going to unauthorized casino repairs and a $300,000 "bonus" to a contractor, according to a new audit by the inspector general.
Government officials are upset with an anti-Donald Trump chef who had a contract to serve meals in Puerto Rico during the hurricane recovery effort, but is now being criticized for being a self-promoter.
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