FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the U.S response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic during an address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 11, 2020. Doug Mills/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump will declare a national emergency over the fast-spreading coronavirus, opening the door to providing more federal aid to fight the disease, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing sources.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
Pressure has been mounting for Trump to declare an infectious disease emergency under a 1988 law that would allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide disaster funds to state and local governments and to deploy support teams. The power is rarely used. Former President Bill Clinton in 2000 declared such an emergency for West Nile Virus.
Reporting by Lisa Lambert and Susan Heavey, Editing by Franklin Paul and Bill Berkrot