17 U.S. States Have Formed Regional Alliances To Combat Coronavirus Pandemic
Last edited Mon Apr 27, 2020, 07:14 PM - Edit history (1)
'The US states uniting to combat coronavirus amid leadership vacuum.' States are banding together to fend for themselves, raising fears – or hopes – that the federal government’s grip will be lessened. By Daniel Strauss In Washington, The Guardian, April 27, 2020. Excerpts, Edited:
Groups of American states have banded together to form regional partnerships to battle the coronavirus pandemic. The new unions, which now encompass 17 states, have potentially far reaching implications for how the US handles the virus and deals with Donald Trump’s administration in the process. California, Oregon and Washington have formed the Western States Pact. Seven east coast states, stretching from Delaware to Massachusetts, have formed another alliance. And seven mostly midwestern states – encompassing a vast region that includes Minnesota, Ohio and Kentucky – have created a third group. The development has even raised fears – or hopes – that the federal government’s grip on America’s states will be loosened, perhaps threatening the union itself.
Minnesota’s governor, Tim Walz, likened his midwestern alliance to “sort of a loose Articles of Confederation approach.” California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, has even referred to his state as a “nation state”. The groups coalesced quickly and organically through conversations between states’ governors, who have been trading notes and ideas on how to respond to the pandemic. The motivation was partially in response to a White House that has wavered from taking full responsibility for the US’s response to Covid-19 to saying that state governors are essentially responsible for tackling the pandemic. Oregon’s governor, Kate Brown, told the Guardian she had been texting with neighboring governors Jay Inslee in Washington and Newsom in California when the idea emerged.."I thought that it would be really good, even if we weren’t taking the same steps, that we at least hold hands, that we create a shared framework,” Brown recalled..Brown said their chiefs of staff have been sharing strategy. Their directors of public health have been sharing resources..
Similarly, Illinois’ governor, JB Pritzker, had been texting and talking on the phone with his fellow midwestern governors..In mid-April Pritzker, along with six other governors in the midwest, announced a partnership to reopen the regional economy. The partnership includes both Democratic and Republican governors...Other governors have formed informal regional alliances. Maryland’s governor, Larry Hogan; Washington DC’s mayor, Muriel Bowser; and Virginia’s governor, Ralph Northam, hold regular calls. New Hampshire’s governor, Chris Sununu; Maine’s governor, Janet Mills; and Vermont’s governor, Phil Scott, have remained in contact throughout the pandemic..Publicly and privately governors have groused that the Trump administration has been frustratingly inconsistent and unhelpful in directing the federal government to fight the pandemic, pushing states to go at it alone or in the groups they have formed...
Alliances among governors aren’t unprecedented in America. Governors have formed an alliance during the Trump presidency to fight the climate crisis..There are ongoing differences in the regional responses to the pandemic as well. A few southern states – Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina – have been much more eager to loosen restrictions than other states across the country. Those states have not set up a formal pact...
More, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/27/us-states-councils-pacts-coronavirus-trump
- April 27, Colorado, Nevada Join Western States Pact To Fight Coronavirus
https://democraticunderground.com/10142480922
- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in Albany, NY.
= new reply since forum marked as read
