As Trump seeks help for cruise industry hit by coronavirus, Republicans say no bailout
President Donald Trump on Monday said he has plans to help the cruise and airline industries that have been “hard hit” by an outbreak of the coronavirus, as his administration sent mixed signals over whether Americans should proceed with holiday cruise plans.
“We’re working with them very, very strongly,” Trump told reporters, referring to airline and cruise line executives who have met with White House officials in recent days.
He also said that the administration is talking to the hotel industry. “Some places actually will do well, and some places probably won’t do well at all,” the president said.
Vice President Mike Pence said the administration would roll out details on Tuesday, and said it had requested major reforms to the cruise line industry.
Speaking to reporters at a briefing at the White House on Monday evening, Pence said that the Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard were finalizing a proposal in consultation with cruise lines to adopt new medical screening procedures and standard practices for evacuating passengers “who may contract coronavirus or a serious illness” while on board a ship.
“I was in Miami on Saturday – we made it very clear that we needed cruise lines to be safer, establish and to embrace new protocols.” said Pence. “I think the president was grateful that our cruise line leadership stepped up to the table to say we are ready to go to the next level.”
Neither Trump nor Pence offered any firm details about what they planned to propose to lawmakers, but Republican senators were already expressing reservations about providing the cruise line industry with a financial lifeline.
Several of the major cruise companies are not U.S. businesses, and are largely exempt from federal income taxes: Carnival Corp. is a Panamanian company, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a Liberian company, and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. is a Bermudan company.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., told McClatchy on Monday evening he would not support a federal bailout of the cruise ship industry “based on what I know right now.”
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said it was “premature” to discuss such legislative action.
Reforms to the cruise ship industry itself, however, could be met with enthusiasm among lawmakers who have been pushing for new regulations for years.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is the lead sponsor of the “Cruise Passenger Protection Act,” which would, among other things, mandate that trained medical professionals are on board all cruise ships and set standards for how emergency medical situations are handled.
He told McClatchy that while he couldn’t say whether the recent coronavirus outbreaks on cruise ships could have been prevented had his bill been enacted, the recent episodes underscore the need for such a law.
“There is an urgency to now,” Blumenthal said. “Time is not on our side, and we need to move forward.”
At the briefing, Anthony Fauci, a member of the task force and head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters that he believed Americans could continue with their plans to take cruises as the warmer months approach.
“I think If you are a healthy young person, that there is no reason if you want to go on a cruise ship, to go on a cruise ship,” he said.
The State Department warned all U.S. citizens over the weekend against cruise ship travel, underscoring the threat to those with underlying health conditions.
Trump, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow are set to brief Senate Republicans on a series of actions Congress can take to address the economic fallout of the coronavirus.
The president said his proposals include a possible payroll tax cut, as well as temporary protections for hourly earners so they are not penalized if they miss work because of illness, amid a dramatic downturn in the financial markets over fears of the economic impacts of the virus’ spread.
Pence, who is leading the White House task force, encouraged U.S. citizens to visit coronavirus.gov for guidance on protecting themselves at home, in the workplace and in communal areas.
Taylor Dolven contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 9, 2020 at 8:31 PM.
