Here comes the GovernorsâŠthey are making announcements in unison. And they are not allowing T to assume he has plenary(absolute) power, as Pence puts it. They are taking control of the situationâŠand will more than likely slow it downâŠway down.
(CNN)States on the countryâs East and West coasts are forming their own regional pacts to work together on how to reopen from the stay-at-home orders each has issued to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The first such group to be announced came Monday on the East Coast. Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said his state, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island and Massachusetts each plan to name a public health and economic official to a regional working group. The chief of staff of the governor of each state also will be a part of the group, which will begin work immediately to design a reopening plan.
Later on Monday, the West Coast states of California, Washington and Oregon also announced they are joining forces in a plan to begin incremental release of stay-at-home orders. Governors of the three states will collaborate on their approach to getting back to business in âin a safe, strategic, responsible way,â as announced by California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The collaborative approach by governors on both coasts underscored the massive and complex calculations that the nation is facing as it looks at steps to reopen the economy at both the federal and state levels. Though the President has asserted that he has the authority to determine when the economy will reopen, governors and mayors around the country have moved swiftly in recent days to make it clear that they control the levers of power in their own states and cities with their ability to maintain closures of businesses and schools, and to enforce social distancing through their police departments.
The announcements by the West and East coast governors on Monday appeared to be an effort to preempt pronouncements coming from the President, who has said he will likely introduce his âOpening the Countryâ economic task force during his briefing on Tuesday. Governors on both costs hammered the notion that their decisions will be driven by facts, science and public health professionals, not politics.
President Donald Trump foreshadowed the looming clash with local officials in a tweet Monday morning, pushing back against some of the governors who have said in recent days that they hold the authority to decide when they reopen their state economies.
âFor the purpose of creating conflict and confusion, some in the Fake News Media are saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government. Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect,â Trump tweeted.
During Mondayâs White House coronavirus task force briefing, Trump again asserted his authority to override governors, saying, The President of the United States calls the shots."
"When somebodyâs the president of the United States, the authority is total," he said. "And thatâs the way itâs got to be."
Even if this move is borderline legal, itâs still a dumb.