You see that trajectory and trying to turn the trajectory.

But as of now, the numbers are continuing to increase.

What we're working very hard to do is to keep the rate of increase of the spread of the disease to a level that we can manage it.

In our hospital system, we have 53,000 hospital beds available.

Ah, right now the curve suggests we could need 100 and 10,000 hospital beds, and that is an obvious problem.

And that's what we're dealing with.

You have the nation's role in the situation.

You also have the state's role.

This is what they call an emergency management situation, and there are rules for emergency management who does what Basically, this state governments, local governments manage an emergency unless the emergency overwhelms the capacity of the local government, and then the higher level of government takes over.

That happens even on the state level.

A city will be in charge of county will be in charge unless it overwhelms their capacity and then the state comes in and takes over.

The federal government has made a decision to leave the states in charge of deciding quarantine procedures, whether toe open with it too close.

That's why you see New York taking certain actions.

Illinois taking certain actions, different states taking certain actions because the federal government does far has said different situations in different states.

Let the states decide dependent upon the number of cases they have on.

I think that has been right to date.

That could change, but it's been right to date.

However, the federal government should nationalize medical supply.

Acquisition?

Uh, the states simply cannot manage it.

This state cannot manage it.

States all across the country can't manage it.

Certainly the states that are dealing with the highest caseload can't handle it.

But you're hearing it all, Of course, the country from states they just can't deal with finding the medical supplies that they need on.

That's why I believe the federal government should take over that function of contracting on dhe, acquiring all the medical supplies that we need currently, when states are doing it, we are competing against other states in some ways were savaging other states.

I'm trying to buy masks.

I'm competing with California and Illinois and Florida on.

That's not the way it should be.

Frankly, price gouging is a tremendous problem, and it's only getting worse.

There are masks that we were paying 85 cents for we're now paying $7.

Why?

Because I'm competing against every other state and in some cases, against other countries around the world.

Ventilators, which are the most precious piece of equipment for this situation.

They range in price from $16,000 to $40,000 each, and New York state needs 30,000 ventilators.

This is just an impossible situation to manage.

If we don't get the equipment, we can lose lives that we could have otherwise saved if we had the right equipment.

The federal government has two options to handle this voluntary partnership with companies where the federal government says the company's I would appreciate it if you would work with us and do this and the president has done that, and he seems to have gotten a good response on a voluntary basis.

The other way is what's called the Defense Production Act, with the federal government has the legal authority to say two companies, you must produce this.

Now it is invoking a federal law.

It is mandating that private companies do something, but I think it is appropriate.

If I had the power, I would do it in New York state because the situation is that critical.

I think the federal government should order factories to manufacture masks, gowns, ventilators, the essential medical equipment that's going to make the difference between life and death.

It's not hard to make a mask or p p e equipment or a gown, but you need companies to do it.

We have apparel companies that can make clothing Well, then you can make a surgical gown and you can make a mask, but they have to be ordered to do it.

If the federal government does it, then they can do it in a very orderly way.

They can decide how many they need.

They can designate how many each factory should produce, and then they could distribute those goods by need.

Rather than having these states all compete against each other.

It would also be less expensive because it would avoid the price gouging that is now happening in this marketplace.

I can tell what's happening.

I'll contract with the company for 1000 masks.

They'll call back 20 minutes later, and say the price just went up because they had a better offer.

And I understand that other states who are desperate for these goods literally offer more money than we were paying.

And it's just that a race that's raising prices higher and higher.

We even have hospitals competing against other hospital.

If the federal government came in, used the Defense Production Act, you could resolve all of that immediately.

Also, uh, we need the product now.

We have cries from hospitals around the state.

I've spoken to other governors around the country.

They have the same situation.

They need these materials now on.

Only the federal government can make that happen.

So I believe the federal government should immediately utilize the Defense Production Act.

Implement that immediately.

Let's get those medical supplies running and let's get them moving as quickly as possible.

In terms of federal government funding, they should prioritize the funding.

Individuals need money.

You're laid off, you're going paycheck to paycheck.

We took care of the rent issue here in New York, the mortgage payment, but you have to buy food.

You have to buy essentials, and if you haven't worked in, you're laid off uh, you're in trouble, So I think the federal government is exactly right.

The president has talked about this.

Get funding to the into the pockets of families that needed to live second money to governments.

I'm spending money right now that we don't have.

I'm not going to deprive people of medical service is, but the economy has stopped.

People are not paying their taxes.

If you're not paying your taxes, that's a state source of revenue.

So funding from the federal government is essential for May On third, the corporate subsidies that the president is talking about, I think, is also right.

But the corporate funding should not be a gift to corporations at the taxpayer's expense.

Let's learn from what happened in 2008.

I was attorney general at that time in the state of New York, where we bailed out corporations.

They bought back stock they paid.

They paid their corporate executives handsomely.

They benefited from tax payer money, and the taxpayers wound up getting none of the profits.

This citizens should benefit from the corporate success if the government takes equity if the government charges an interest rate, Uh, but this time, if the taxpayers are going to bail out these big corporations.

Make sure the tax payers sharing the success of these corporations.

Let's do it right this time.

Also the federal funding.

They're working on another Corona virus.

Bill.

I was in Washington for eight years.

This should not be the usual sausage making of pork barrel, right?

When you do a piece of legislation in Washington, most legislatures it becomes wth e expression sausage, making it becomes pork barrel.

It goes through the political process, and the political process says everybody should get some money, which dilutes the funding gives it to communities and governments that don't really need the funding on.

Dhe doesn't even address the need.

It's one of the reasons why people are so suspect of government spending right, because it winds up pork barrel.

Every senator is going to say, I want money for my state, every Congress person says.

I want money for my local district.

I wanna be able to go home with a little package that I can hand to my local government.

That's not what this is about in this case.

This is about addressing a need and getting funding precious funding.

The people in places that need it, and the rule here should be money follows the need.

It's that simple.

Uh, what place is needed?

Self serving.

But New York state has 15 times more cases than any other state right now.

Fund the states fund the places that need it, follow the number of cases and use need as the basis for funding.

It's common sense it will be respected by the people of this nation.

And the alternative to politicize this funding process is intolerable.

Up to my congressional delegation, I say, Look, New York received no funding from the first Corona virus bill, even though New York has the greatest need.

And that was a technical mistake in the way they wrote the bill.

Political custom is one politician, politician or elected Officials should not pressure people off their own party.

My congressional delegation is largely Democrats.

So political custom would be, well, don't pressure another Democratic elected officials.

I say that is baloney.

Uh, I represent all the citizens of the state of New York.

That is my job.

It's the first simple job I have.

I fight for New Yorkers, period Democrats, Republicans, period, And this is no time to play politics, and we need our congressional delegation to stand up and to fight for New York.

Also in the federal role.

I'm requesting today from the federal government that the Army Corps immediately proceed to erect temporary hospitals.

I went out yesterday.

I surveyed the sights.

There are several good options that give us regional coverage A An Army Corps temporary hospital at Stony Brook, which is on Long Island Westbury, which is on Long Island, Westchester, where we have that terrible cluster, which is thank goodness Reducing.

And the Javits Center, which is a very large convention center in Manhattan in New York and New York City, is obviously where we have the highest number of cases.

Uh, the I met with the Army Corps.

They've reviewed these sides.

I approve it, I approve it on behalf of the state of New York, and now we just have to get it done and get it done quickly.

These temporary hospitals are helpful, but they don't bring supplies and they don't bring staff and that compounds are problem of not having enough medical supplies on frankly, compounds are problem of not having enough medical staff because we are trying to increase the capacity in our existing hospitals.

The the sites that we picked allow for indoor assembly of these facilities so they won't be out of doors.

They'll be indoors.

Some places we may need to do them out doors.

But the's campuses also have dormitories where the healthcare staff can stay the very large space.

And again, I have made all necessary approvals.

So from my point of view, construction can start tomorrow.

Uh, these are pictures of the places where we would assemble them in Stony Brook, Old Westbury, Westchester County Center in Westchester, all indoor locations, all open, already accessible.

Jacob Javits Center.

We just expand that it It's one of the largest convention centers in the country.

It's open.

It is ready to go.

There is no red tape on the side of New York.

We're also asking FEMA to come in Federal Emergency Management Agency to come in and erect for federal hospitals at the Javits Center.

The federal Hospital by FEMA is different than the Army Corps of Engineer temporary facility.

The FEMA hospitals come with staff, and with supplies.

They're in 250 bed configurations.

We're asking for four of those 250 bed configurations to be assembled in the Javits Center.

The Javits Center can easily manage them.

It's in the heart of Manhattan.

They're fully equipped.

They're fully staffed again.

We are ready to go as soon as the federal government is ready to go.

That will then give us regional coverage in downstate New York, which is almost heavily impacted area.

The president signed the FEMA emergency declaration, which allows FEMA to goto work.

By that emergency declaration, funding for these service's has split 75% by the federal government, 25% by the state government.

The federal government can waive the state's share, as they call it wave the 25% from the state.

I'm also requesting that the president waived the 25%.

I just cannot pay the 25%.

We literally don't have the funding to do it.

And by the way, I don't believe any state will be in a position.

Tau wave the 25%.

So I don't just say that on my behalf.

I say that on behalf of all the governors, I'm the vice chairman of the National Governors Association.

I've been speaking with governors all across the nation.

No state has the financial capacity to participate in my opinion, But I know for sure New York doesn't because we are the heavy have heaviest hit state Right now.

I'm asking the president to do what I did here in the state of New York.

Cut the red tape, cut the bureaucracy.

Just cut to the chase.

Get the Army Corps of Engineers moving.

Get FEMA moving.

Let's get those buildings up.

Let's have them in place before that trajectory hits its apex.

Time matters, minutes count.

And this is literally a matter of life and death.

We get these facilities up, we get the supplies, we will save lives.

If we don't, we will lose lives.

I don't mean to be overly dramatic, but I want to be honest.

And that is the simple fact of this matter.

We're also implementing the trial drug.

We have secured 70,000 hydro Claure Quinn, 10,000 Zithromax from the federal government.

I want to thank the FDA for moving very expeditiously to get us this supply.

The president ordered the FDA to move and the FDA moved.

We're going to get this supply, and the trial will start this Tuesday.

The president is optimistic about this about these drugs on DWI, a role optimistic that it could work.