US ECONOMICS
CORONAVIRUS
THE WHITE HOUSE. May 8, 2020. HEALTHCARE. PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDA. Memo on Providing Continued Federal Support for Governors’ Use of the National Guard to Respondto Covid-19 and to Facilitate Economic Recovery
MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY
SUBJECT: Providing Continued Federal Support for Governors’ Use of the National Guard to Respond to COVID-19 and to Facilitate Economic Recovery
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5121-5207 (the “Stafford Act”), and section 502 of title 32, United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policy. It is the policy of the United States to take measures to assist State and territorial Governors under the Stafford Act in their responses to all threats and hazards to the American people in their respective States and territories. On March 13, 2020, I declared a national emergency recognizing the threat that COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel (new) coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 (“the virus”), and the virus poses to the Nation’s healthcare systems. I also determined that same day that the COVID-19 outbreak constituted an emergency, of nationwide scope, pursuant to section 501(b) of the Stafford Act (42 U.S.C. 5191(b)). Considering the profound and unique public health risks posed by the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, the need for close cooperation and mutual assistance between the Federal Government and the States and territories is greater than at any time in recent history. This need remains as the United States continues to battle the public health threat posed by the virus, while transitioning to a period of increased economic activity and recovery in those areas of the Nation where the threat posed by the virus has been sufficiently mitigated. To provide maximum support to the States and territories as they make decisions about the responses required to address local conditions in their respective jurisdictions with respect to combatting the threat posed by the virus and, where appropriate, facilitating their economic recovery, I am taking the actions set forth in sections 2, 3, and 4 of this memorandum:
Sec. 2. One Hundred Percent Federal Cost Share. To maximize assistance to the Governor of the State of South Dakota to facilitate Federal support with respect to the use of National Guard units under State control, I am directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security to fund 100 percent of the emergency assistance activities associated with preventing, mitigating, and responding to the threat to public health and safety posed by the virus that South Dakota undertakes using its National Guard forces, as authorized by sections 403 (42 U.S.C. 5170b) and 503 (42 U.S.C. 5193) of the Stafford Act.
Sec. 3. Support of Operations or Missions to Prevent and Respond to the Spread of COVID-19. I am directing the Secretary of Defense, to the maximum extent feasible and consistent with mission requirements (including geographic proximity), to request pursuant to 32 U.S.C. 502(f) that the Governor of the State of South Dakota order National Guard forces to perform duty to fulfill mission assignments, on a fully reimbursable basis, that FEMA issues to the Department of Defense for the purpose of supporting State and local emergency assistance efforts under the Stafford Act.
Sec. 4. Termination and Extension. The 100 percent Federal cost share for the States’ and territories’ use of National Guard forces authorized pursuant to this memorandum, and my prior memoranda dated March 22, 28, and 30, 2020, and April 2, 7, and 13, 2020, each titled “Providing Federal Support for Governors’ Use of the National Guard to Respond to COVID‑19,” and my prior memoranda dated April 20 and 28, 2020, each titled “Providing Continued Federal Support for Governors’ Use of the National Guard to Respond to COVID-19 and to Facilitate Economic Recovery,” shall extend to, and shall be available for orders of any length authorizing duty through June 24, 2020. Such orders include duty necessary to comply with health protection protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or other health protection measures agreed to by FEMA and the Department of Defense.
Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
(d) The Secretary of Defense is authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
DONALD J. TRUMP
THE WHITE HOUSE. May 8, 2020. STATEMENTS and RELEASES. HEALTHCARE. President Donald J. Trump Approves Seminole Tribe of Florida Disaster Declaration
Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists for the Seminole Tribe of Florida and ordered Federal assistance to supplement the Tribe’s efforts in the areas affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic beginning on January 20, 2020, and continuing.
Federal funding is available for the Seminole Tribe of Florida and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, for the Tribe and its associated lands impacted by COVID-19.
Pete Gaynor, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Gracia B. Szczech as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.
Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the Tribe and warranted by the results of further assessments.
U.S. Department of State. 05/08/2020. Secretary Michael R. Pompeo With Ben Shapiro of the Ben Shapiro Show. Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State. Via Teleconference
QUESTION: Welcome back. This is the Ben Shapiro Show. Joining us on the line is Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, sworn in as Secretary of State April 26th, 2018. Secretary Pompeo, thanks so much for joining the show again.
SECRETARY POMPEO: Ben, it’s great to be back with you again. Hope you’re doing well.
QUESTION: Hanging in there. So Secretary Pompeo, obviously you’ve been in the center of the news for suggesting that maybe, just maybe, this didn’t all start with a person eating a bat; that perhaps the Wuhan virus, a virus that began in Wuhan, actually may have started in a Chinese lab. Now, we’ve seen a lot of speculation about this, especially because apparently the bat species from which this virus originated was not native to the Wuhan region. So what is the argument that this thing either did or did not start in a lab, and what is the position of the administration on the origins of the virus?
SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, Ben, the administration’s really clear: We need the answer to that. We need the Chinese Communist Party to share with the American people the data set, the access we need, a sample of the virus – all the basic things that normal nations do and they’ve refuse to do.
As for the facts, I’ve seen a significant amount of evidence that suggests that the lab was underperforming, that there were security risks at the lab, and that the virus could well have emanated from there. But I’m happy to suspend the decision about that. What we need are answers. There are still people dying. We’ve got an economy now that is really struggling, and it’s all a direct result of the Chinese Communist Party covering up, hiding information, having doctors who wanted to tell the story about where this began, how patient zero was formed and how it emanated from that person, and yet we can’t get those answers. Even now, 120-plus days on from the Chinese Communist Party knowing about this virus, they continue to hide and obfuscate the data from the American people and from the world’s best scientists.
QUESTION: Secretary Pompeo, frankly I’m astonished at the number of Democrats, members of the media who seem to be echoing talking points from the Chinese Communist Party when it comes to this particular issue, suggesting that the real problem here is that the United States is being too tough on China, the Trump administration is asking too many questions of China, that really we need to be working with China. As you say, if China had been working with us from the start, then this may never have escaped China in the first place.
SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, I must say I’ve been in Washington now for 10 years, Ben, and I am difficult to surprise with respect to partisanship. Just – I’ve seen it. It’s unfortunate. This isn’t remotely a political issue. This is an enormous national security issue and an economic issue, and my friends back in Kansas, people all across America are really hurting. They want to go back to work, they want to go back to their churches, and the Chinese Communist Party is preventing information from flowing that would increase the chance we could do that better and more safely.
And so when I see whether it’s the left wing media or Democrats saying, “Well gosh, if you all would just cooperate with the World Health Organization,” I am astounded. They failed us. It’s not the first time the WHO has failed the world in the time of a pandemic. You can’t go back to business as usual; we’ve got to fix it. America will lead. We’ll get it right.
QUESTION: So when it comes to the Chinese Government trying to obstruct investigation, there’s been talk about them basically leveraging threats against a variety of countries who are even asking for an investigation. What is the status of the Chinese Government attempting to stymie any sort of investigation into what happened here?
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, it’s pretty astounding, Ben. Whether it was the Australians who simply said, “Boy, we need an investigation,” the ambassador there – the Chinese ambassador there to Australia said, “Well, we’re going to threaten you economically.” We’ve seen the do – same thing do to the EU when they were about to put out a statement, began to put economic pressure on them. This is the worst of Chinese adventurism. We’ve seen this. We’ve seen the Chinese Communist Party do this before, threaten small countries, use economic power to exert their influence. It’s not how nations that want to truly be transparent, truly be part of the international system – it’s not how they behave. I regret that they’ve done it because we still have an ongoing crisis. We still don’t know where this virus began other than to say we know it came out of Wuhan.
QUESTION: Secretary Pompeo, one of the other sort of media criticisms of the administration has been the suggestion that America has abdicated leadership when it comes to pandemic response. That obviously is not true. I mean, you’ve been talking for a long time about what exactly America is doing for other countries. I was hoping maybe you could run some of that down here.
SECRETARY POMPEO: Goodness, Ben, it’s not even comparable. There’s no other nation that has contributed as much and will contribute as much to the solution to this pandemic. Often that gets translated into dollars. I’m happy to lay the competition down there. We will spend billions of dollars. We’ll provide assistance to countries all across the world.
No one has a technical capability like us. We’ve got dozens and dozens and dozens of our CDC officers in dozens and dozens of countries around the world, providing technical assistance in Africa, in Southeast Asia, all across the world.
And no one shows up too with the private sector, who when it comes time to begin to build the world’s economy will be out there taking risk, growing economies, using technology to make lives better for people all across the world. There is no nation that will remotely lead in the way we will leading the world back out of this global crisis.
QUESTION: Secretary Pompeo, I want to switch topics briefly. There was sort of a very odd incident in Venezuela in which a couple of Americans were apparently implicated in attempting to start a coup there. The Venezuelan Government has been trying to claim that the Trump administration was behind this attempted coup using a couple of ex-Green Berets. What should we make of that whole story and what exactly did the Trump administration have to do with any of it, if anything?
SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, the short answer to that is this was not an American effort. This wasn’t something that we directed or guided. I know Maduro’s trying to spin it that way. That’s the story he wants to tell to the Venezuelan people. Again, Maduro as victim is not the right story to come out of this. It won’t surprise me if when we get to the end of this we learn that the regime knew about this for a significant amount of time and has used this opportunity to create disinformation and an opportunity.
But the American people can be sure the United States didn’t lead this effort. We desperately want to return Venezuela to its democracy and let it flourish in a way that we know that it can. It has enormous resources. Our mission set is clear. President Trump’s given real guidance to put pressure on Maduro so that he and the Cubans will leave, and when we get that, we’ll restore democracy there. It wasn’t us who conducted this little activity a few days ago now.
QUESTION: And so we’re doing a little bit of globetrotting here, Secretary Pompeo, but I wanted to ask you about a little-noticed story yesterday with regard to the United States withdrawing batteries of Patriot surface-to-air missiles from Saudi Arabia. The presumption here is that Iran is no longer seen as as much of a threat to Saudi Arabian territory, particularly given their weak economic status and the pandemic, but there was speculation that perhaps this was some sort of pressure put on Saudi Arabia to decrease its oil supply so as not to continue overwhelming the oil markets with a glut. What is the reason the United States withdrew those Patriot missiles?
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, I really appreciate this question. I want to – I’d love to clear that all up. This was none – it was none of the above with respect to that. Those Patriot batteries had been in place for some time. Those troops needed to get back. They needed to reposition. I’ll leave to DOD to give the details, but this wasn’t either a recognition of a decreased threat – I wish it were so. I wish that the Islamic Republic of Iran had changed its ways, but the threat remains. It’s not a decrease in our support to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and doing everything we can to provide security for them and air defense systems so the Iranians can’t threaten them, and this was in no way an effort to pressure them with respect to the global oil issues. This was a normal rotation of forces, and I think the Iranian regime knows that too. They can see that we still have ample capability to continue to exercise both our maximum pressure campaign and our deterrence in the region.
QUESTION: And Secretary Pompeo, I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you about your take on the DOJ’s decision to drop charges against Mike Flynn. Obviously, you were the director of the CIA from January 2017 to April 2018 and you know General Flynn. Obviously, the DOJ decided that they were not going to move forward with charges on the basis that whatever statements he made to the FBI, whether or not they were true, they were immaterial to any actual ongoing criminality or any criminal case. What’s your reaction to the DOJ’s decision to drop the case against Flynn?
SECRETARY POMPEO: So I do know General Flynn. I first came to know him actually when he was the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency when I served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He’s a good man. Justice has been done and I’m happy that Attorney General Barr and the Justice Department team got to the facts, got to the right answers, and have now corrected what was an enormous miscarriage of justice.
QUESTION: Well, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, really appreciate your time, sir, and stay safe out there. Really appreciate what you’re doing.
SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you, Ben. So long, sir.
U.S. Department of State. 05/08/2020. Briefing with Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker and Dr. William Walters, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Operations, Bureau of Medical Services On Secretary Pompeo’s Travel to Israel. Via Teleconference
- David Schenker, Assistant SecretaryBureau of Near Eastern Affairs
- Dr. William Walters, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Operations, Bureau of Medical Services
As the Secretary has said, even as the United States and the world continue to confront COVID-19, the administration and President Trump want to make sure we execute our foreign policy mission. We are focused on that even when the virus challenge confronts us all. It’s in that spirit that the Secretary will travel to Israel next week, May 12th through the 13th, to meet with Israeli Government officials and discuss a full range of bilateral and global issues on the table. Assistant Secretary David Schenker, who heads our Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, will present some more details regarding the trip in just a minute.
We recognize that international travel isn’t a given in these unprecedented times, but we’ve taken every precaution to comply with the guidance of the State Department’s fantastic medical team and ensure the safety of all those who will be a part of the trip and those who will support success. So I’ve asked Dr. William Walters, deputy chief medical officer for operations from our Bureau of Medical Services, to join us for this call to present that information also.
Assistant Secretary Schenker will speak first, followed by Dr. Walters, then we’ll take your questions. As a reminder, the focus of this call is on the trip next week, so if you could keep your questions likewise focused on that issue. As always, the contents of this briefing is embargoed until the end of the call.
So Assistant Secretary Schenker, please, go ahead.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: Thank you. Good afternoon, everybody. The Secretary will return to Israel next week to consult in person with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Speaker of the Knesset Benny Gantz. As you know, the two of them are in the final stages of forming a government of Israel, a new government of Israel, which they have pledged to inaugurate next week. Israel is fortunate to have such strong and experienced leadership during this challenging time, and we in Washington are fortunate to have such a strong and experienced – to have such strong and experienced partners in Jerusalem.
The Secretary is making this trip because he recognizes the United States and Israel have much to learn from each other as we address current threats, whether those threats stem from a global pandemic or from Iran’s malign regional influence. The United States and Israel draw on each other’s strengths. That is true whether we’re mitigating and containing COVID-19 or countering Iranian destabilizing behavior. We stand side by side with Israel in addressing all threats to the security and prosperity of the American and Israeli peoples. Our unshakable commitment to Israel’s security is stronger than ever, as is the unbreakable tie between our countries.
And with that, I’ll turn it back over to you and then Dr. Walters.
DR WALTERS: Yeah, thanks, David. Dr. Will Walters, deputy chief medical officer for operations. The Bureau of Medical Services fully supports the essential travel of the Secretary. This is what we do for a living as the United States lead foreign affairs agency. And as both myself and the physician to the Secretary look at this trip, we’ve been able to develop a regimen of risk mitigation steps that we feel – it creates a safe environment for both the Secretary and the traveling party through close coordination with the embassy in Jerusalem as well as our Israeli counterparts.
For those of you who have traveled with the Secretary before, either before or during this outbreak, you will all know that this is a highly choreographed operation. People show up well in advance during COVID. That will include days beforehand or a day or two beforehand undergoing COVID testing to make sure that those that are getting on the aircraft are safe. That’s what the Secretary has directed. The Secretary’s physician will be on hand at all times, will screen individuals onto the plane. Masks will be used in accordance with CDC recommendations. Every person that comes in contact or near contact with the Secretary or with the traveling party will have been screened ahead of time to – for symptoms, and no unknown cases or unknown individuals will be allowed inside what we would call a bubble of six feet or more. The interactions will be obviously brief and professional, and then the Secretary will head back to the plane and come back to the United States.
This isn’t an individual entering into the general population of the United States or another country. This is a tightly controlled movement in a highly screened environment that we feel is very, very safe. Obviously the Secretary, just by the nature of his duties, is – comes in contact with people from all over the world on a daily basis, and so as part of that and in accordance with CDC recommendations for safety practices for critical infrastructure workers, he’s monitored on a daily basis by his physician and has access to the medical team on a 24-hour basis.
Pending your questions, I’ll turn it back to Cale.
MR BROWN: Thanks, Dr. Walters. Okay, we’ve got time for questions. Let’s see, looks like we got first up, Barbara Usher.
QUESTION: Thank you very much. I have a question for Ambassador Schenker. There have been a lot of different officials quoted in the papers or in media recently, both Israeli and U.S., about plans for – Mr. Netanyahu’s plans for annexing parts of the West Bank, and so I wanted to ask you: Given that the map that the United States has issued along with its peace vision corresponds with the geographical boundaries of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s own plan, is this vision essentially signing off on Mr. Netanyahu’s annexation plan?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: Well, thanks, Barbara, for the question. The U.S. position hasn’t changed. We continue to pursue the path that the President set out in January when presenting the U.S. vision for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and we look forward to direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. As for borders or annexation, or whatever is on that front, I would say that I don’t want to talk about specifics here because we have a U.S.-Israeli mapping committee that is at work and I don’t want to prejudice that.
MR BROWN: Okay. Next, Matt Lee.
QUESTION: Hi there. Thanks a lot for doing this. Can I just say as – up front, Doc Walters, having covered various peace efforts over the course of the last couple decades, I think maybe it’s a good idea to get the medical profession more involved in it and have politicians and diplomats less involved in it. With that said, is – did you or have you guys gotten some kind of an exemption to the Israeli quarantine rules that they put into effect because this is an official trip?
And then for David, I just wanted to ask: Further to Barbara’s question, just how much of the conversation do you expect to be about annexation and the work of the mapping committee, and how much do you think will be on more broader regional issues like Iran? Thank you.
DR WALTERS: Yeah, it’s great to hear from you, Matt. The – what I can say is the entire trip, the entire stop is highly choreographed and doesn’t include any type of quarantine. The Secretary and his traveling party arrives, engages in a very predictable manner, goes back to the aircraft and departs. So the nature of an exemption I can’t speak to, only that this is choreographed and a quarantine isn’t part of it.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: And Matt, on that second, I’m not going to break down how much time they’re going to talk about Israel’s borders or the extension of – potential Israeli extension of sovereignty in the West Bank. I don’t know how much they’re going to talk about that versus the traditional areas of conversation, the issues of common concern – Iran destabilizing behavior in the region, activities in Syria, developments with Hizballah in Lebanon. There – there’s standard matters that we talk about with Israel as a strategic partner, so it – undoubtedly, it would be a wide-ranging discussion.
MR BROWN: Nick Schifrin.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) for doing this. I really appreciate it. Can I just zoom in a little bit on the nature of extending Israeli sovereignty, as they put it, annexation, as other people put it, to David? I know you said and the Secretary has said that the nature of that discussion hasn’t changed, but when the President released his plan, the Secretary gave multiple interviews in which he said, “The Israelis will make decisions consistent with Israeli law,” quote-unquote. And now both you and he are talking about this move being in the context of Palestinian negotiations. So what has changed?
And then just to ask, it sounds like this is a very short trip. Why do you think it’s necessary? Thanks.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: Well, first, the Secretary is traveling at the invitation of the Israeli Government, and Israel is actually I think doing very well at containing the virus. And we’ve coordinated, as Dr. Rawlings said, every – Dr. Walters said, every step of this with the Israelis. And with such a close ally, I think it’s important. The Secretary is looking forward to seeing his counterparts and the new Israeli Government, the prime minister, face to face.
Yeah, I mean, I’ve really got nothing more to add on this. The Secretary has given a great deal of interviews. I think Ambassador Friedman has just given I think two or three lengthy interviews about this. So I think the Secretary will probably do some readouts and talks about his conversations when he comes out. I’m sure we’ll do some backgrounders on the plane on the way back as well.
MR BROWN: Next let’s go to the line of Barak Ravid.
QUESTION: David, two questions. First, is the Secretary going to raise with the prime minister, with Mr. Netanyahu, the issue of business with the Chinese Government by the Government of Israel? And the second question: Do you think the Secretary is going to discuss with Netanyahu the issue of Iranian cyber attacks?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: Thanks for the question, Barak. The – as you know, the business with the Chinese is an issue of concern for us with Israel. And across the region, the Secretary’s repeatedly stated that the U.S. wants trade and investment on fair and reciprocal terms with reliable partners. China’s business dealings, by contrast, are opaque, transactional, and geared to benefit the Chinese Communist Party.
So we speak often to our friends in Israel about these risks. But I’m not going to comment on whether the Secretary will discuss this or not. These are private diplomatic conversations.
MR BROWN: Okay. Lara Jakes.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) as well. David, is Secretary Pompeo going to be talking to any Palestinian leaders or officials while he’s in Israel, even if on the phone, understanding that social distancing mandate that you guys are taking? And I’m asking in the context of what kind of assurances might be given to Palestinians as this mapping committee is doing its job, and how it will address any concerns about Israeli security forces in the Palestinian areas, as they travel between enclaves as set out in the Peace to Prosperity plan. Thank you.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: Thanks, Lara. Listen, as you know, we’ve provided 5 million in international disaster assistance to help mitigate sort of COVID-19 in the West Bank, and so AID is providing these funds for – to meet needs of Palestinian hospitals and households. That said, I think, as you know, that the Palestinian leadership has not spoken with U.S. officials in quite a long time. So that is their decision. We’ll look forward to the day that Palestinian leadership talks to the U.S. Government again.
MR BROWN: Okay. Abigail Williams. Abbie?
QUESTION: Can you hear me?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: Yes.
MR BROWN: Can hear you now. Go ahead.
QUESTION: Okay. Thanks so much for doing this. UNWRA put an emergency appeal for almost $100 million to help the Palestinian refugees. I know the U.S. just gave a million dollars last month, as you mentioned, but obviously there’s the need for more assistance. Will the U.S. be discussing that at all during the trip, and are there plans to give anything further? I know previously the U.S. had said further assistance would be dependent on evaluations as to whether the funds had reached the Palestinian people. Thanks.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: Thanks, Abigail. Yeah, so we did provide the 5 million, and we are looking at other options for providing additional assistance. It’s been a tough time for everyone. We’re giving hundreds of millions of dollars throughout the world and in the region in particular.
As for UNWRA, as we announced in 2018, I think, after a review, the administration determined that the U.S. would not make the additional contributions to UNWRA, but that doesn’t prejudge any future decisions about U.S. funding for assistance in the West Bank and Gaza. And we’re constantly looking at this. Did I miss anything, Abigail?
MR BROWN: No, that answered the question. Let’s go to Victor Shalhoub.
QUESTION: Yes, good afternoon.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: Good afternoon.
QUESTION: Yeah, in the statement – the State Department statement today, it says will be discussed – the Secretary will discuss, and I quote, “regional security issues if elected to ” Is that implies to the – in any way or among other things to the recent military situation and Israeli attack in Syria lately? Thank you.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: Victor, I think the statement speaks for itself, where the – Israel’s a very close strategic partner of the United States. When we talk about Iran, we talk about all sorts of Iranian activities and the threats that poses to both Israeli interests and U.S. interests and personnel throughout the region.
MR BROWN: Okay. Next, Laura Kelly.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: You on mute?
MR BROWN: Laura? Okay, let’s move on to Tracey.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: Wait, there she is.
MR BROWN: Okay. Go ahead, Laura.
OPERATOR: No, she hit the *1. She’s not in no more.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: Okay.
MR BROWN: Okay. All right. Let’s go to Tracey Wilkinson and then we’ll circle back to Laura.
QUESTION: Okay. All right. Thank you. I’m going to take another stab at some of my colleagues’ questions. On the issue of annexation – and I ask because some of these interviews that you’ve mentioned, Ambassador Schenker, are – that Friedman gave – contradicts somewhat the statements coming out of the State Department. To what extent is U.S. approval of Israeli annexation contingent on Israeli-Palestinian talks?
And then my second question is about the timing of this trip. Why now? It could’ve been next month or a couple months when COVID was more – was more repressed. Is it timed to coincide with the formation of the new government or what is the reason for now, doing it now? Thanks.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: Well listen, on the travel, once again, close ally, and there’s always a lot to talk about with the Israelis. And so I – I think it had been quite a while since we had a face-to-face, and Israel is doing much better than a lot of countries in the mitigating the threat of COVID, and in fact opening up quite a bit now. The – whether this coincided or not, I think the – it just so happened that they announced that this thing should happen on the 13th, the government formation. I think it’s fortuitous timing, but this was something that was in the works before we learned of the date of the government formation.
So back to the annexation or potential Israeli extension of sovereignty, I – I’m going to refer you once again to the Secretary and to Ambassador Friedman, also to the peace team with Jared. I read the interviews and from where I sit, our position hasn’t changed. So that – yeah, I can’t really offer any more on this. I’m sorry.
MR BROWN: Okay. Let’s see. I think we have time for one more question. Let’s go to Jennifer Hansler.
QUESTION: Hi, thanks for doing this. There was a recent report that some faith-based and private humanitarian organizations had sought to distribute COVID aid in Gaza and were blocked by the U.S. Government. I was wondering if you could confirm those reports and if there has been any consideration about changing that policy to allow these private donors to address the pandemic there. Thank you.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: The U.S. doesn’t provide and we won’t provide – we’ve never provided foreign assistance in the Gaza Strip with or through Hamas. Hamas is an illegitimate de facto authority in Gaza, and is a U.S.-designated FTO. I know that a number of international nongovernmental organizations, including U.S.-based charities, provide aid and assistance directly to the people of Gaza who suffer under Hamas’s rule. But any assistance that we provide will be through – to the West Bank or Gaza will be provided in accordance with stringent vetting procedures. I don’t have anything to add on whether – I’m not familiar with the story that you referenced about us taking – the administration taking steps to prevent aid from reaching the Palestinian people of Gaza.
MR BROWN: Okay. We have had one more person join the queue, so we’re still under time, so let’s take one last question from Laurie Mylroie.
QUESTION: Hi, thank you very much for this. My question involves Syria. Israeli defense officials have said recently that at least some Iranian forces were leaving Syria, and then some well-informed Israeli analysts said that wasn’t so. So what’s your view? Has there been some Iranian withdrawal from Syria?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: Laurie, I’m not going to comment on whether there has or there hasn’t, but I would say that Iran has been persistent in its efforts to establish this beachhead basically on Israel’s border and to bring in advanced weaponry and assets targeting Israel and moving equipment, of course, through Syria to Hizballah with this sort of land bridge. And we see repeatedly, oftentimes with no claims of responsibility, that these assets are being hit with great regularity, just pounded, and it would make sense at a certain point that Iran would want to cut its losses and downsize its presence there just because it’s increasingly costly to them in terms of life and property. They would be well advised to start using some of this investment in this military infrastructure in Syria and with Hizballah to start spending some of that money on their own people who are suffering terribly from COVID.
MR BROWN: Okay. Thank you to our briefers for taking time out this afternoon, and for everyone joining the call. It looks like we have exhausted the queue, and so thanks for joining and have a great weekend. And now that we’re at the end of the call the contents of the call are – the embargo on the contents of the call is lifted. Thanks.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY SCHENKER: Thank you.
U.S. Department of State. 05/08/2020. The Untold Coronavirus Story: How the Diplomatic Security Service Helped Evacuate Americans from China
- By Eric Weiner, DSS Public Affairs
- DSS Special Agent David Nicholas, Regional Security Officer, Consulate General Wuhan
- DSS Special Agent Robert Gudenkauf, Assistant Regional Security Officer Investigator
In January, a new and highly infectious coronavirus was spreading through Wuhan, China. To control the outbreak, the Chinese government took a drastic step – without warning, they closed Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, and began what would become one of the largest quarantines in world history. U.S. Consulate General Wuhan was caught in the epicenter of the lockdown. Consulate staff and their families were concerned about isolation and the inability to access medical and support services. When the local government unexpectedly closed the airport, stopped public transportation and closed the roadways, the American team thought they might not be able to leave Wuhan.
Back in Washington, the U.S. government formed an interagency coronavirus task force to lead the response to the outbreak. On the ground in Wuhan, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) and consulate leadership were already implementing a plan to close the consulate and evacuate American personnel.
As the law enforcement and security arm of the Department, DSS ensured that consulate facilities, personnel and information were secure before turning off the lights and lowering the American flag, but evacuation was no simple matter.
“Prior to the lockdown, we had reviewed the consulate’s emergency and food supplies, medical capabilities and vehicle capacity,” said DSS Special Agent and Consulate General Wuhan’s Regional Security Officer David Nicholas. “Despite our extensive preparation, we adapted our evacuation plan daily to address changing conditions and to get our people out of China safely.”
The Evacuation
The DSS Regional Security Office (RSO) worked tirelessly with the General Services Office and local staff to find evacuation routes from Wuhan to cities with operating airports. The initial evacuation plan called for a convoy of consulate vehicles to make a 16-hour drive across several provinces and local jurisdictions, but road closures and checkpoints made it impossible. As options dwindled, the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs and Directorate of Operational Medicine stepped in and quickly devised a plan and arranged a flight to evacuate not only consulate staff and their families but also private U.S. citizens and their family members, as well as some third-country nationals, living in and around Wuhan. The flight was staffed with emergency management specialists, logisticians, and communications specialists from the Directorate who were wheels up from the United States within a one-day notice.
The clock was ticking to design and execute an airlift evacuation plan. The RSO team worked closely with task force, consular, and operational medicine staff to make it happen. No other country had yet evacuated people from Wuhan, and local Chinese officials and international missions spent long hours planning how such an operation would work in a city under lockdown.
DSS Assistant Regional Security Officer Investigator (ARSO-I) Robert Gudenkauf and Consulate Wuhan Criminal Fraud Investigator (CFI) FangFang Wang worked closely with local officials to coordinate the evacuation flight of 195 Americans from Wuhan. A small group of dedicated local staff volunteered to drive and support the evacuation at great personal sacrifice, risking not only their health, but separation from their families due to the city’s strict travel restrictions. Wang rode a bike through Wuhan’s deserted streets to the consulate each day to assist with the departure planning. For the first evacuation flight, she served as Wuhan’s sole liaison to the local government and used her wide network of contacts to help negotiate ground-level details of the operation.
When asked why she and her local colleagues put themselves at such personal risk to help, Wang said “It was a team effort and we were all dedicated to the mission.”
The first flight
On the day of the evacuation, a host of new challenges emerged. The RSO advance team of Gudenkauf, Wang and Bureau of Medical Services (MED) healthcare provider Paul Claw arrived at the airport to find more than 100 U.S. citizens waiting—one had arrived on foot four days in advance. There was some hesitancy from local government officials, but Wang was able to dispel any doubts about the Department’s ability to manage and process all the passengers. The consular team at the airport, working alongside the RSO team and MED staff, processed and screened passengers for coronavirus symptoms, and addressed any visa issues before takeoff. Thanks to the efforts of the team on the ground and assistance from the task force in Washington, the first evacuation flight of Americans took off for the United States before dawn on January 29. No symptoms for coronavirus were detected during the rigorous screening conducted before and during the flight and there were no positive tests for COVID-19 after the evacuees were screened in the United States.
The RSO team shared lessons learned with other diplomatic missions to aid in the evacuation of their citizens, and the successful first airlift out of Wuhan laid the groundwork for four additional evacuation flights that brought 600 Americans home by the end of February.
In an email to Department of State employees, Undersecretary of State for Management Brian Bulatao welcomed home those who returned from Mission China. To those remaining in and returning to China he said, “The work you are doing to protect U.S. citizens is the Department’s most sacred duty, and you have set an inspiring example. We will continue to take every measure to see that you are supported in your work and have all the medical resources, counsel and care you need.”
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LGCJ.:
