The task force created by the White House and charged with spearheading the federal response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus has added the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Dr. Ben Carson. This is according to a new informational notice issued by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).
“Earlier this week, HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson was added to the White House Coronavirus Task Force,” the notice reads. “All federal agencies are working aggressively on a multi-layered, cross-agency public health response to this evolving situation.”
FHA also points approved lenders to coronavirus-specific informational resources provided by the federal government, including basic information about the virus itself, ways to limit potential transmission, details on common symptoms and guidance on what those who believe they are sick with COVID-19 should do.
Carson reportedly joined the task force officially this past Sunday, along with other new additions including Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen Hahn and White House Office of Science and Technology head Kelvin Droegmeier, according to a report in The Hill. Both Carson and Hahn have career experience in the medical field from prior to joining the federal government, as Carson worked as a neurosurgeon while Hahn worked in oncology. Droegmeier’s scientific background is in the field of meteorology.
The White House’s coronavirus task force is led by Vice President Mike Pence, appointed to lead the federal response by President Donald Trump. The economic effect of the coronavirus has already been pronounced even considering that there is not a widespread nationwide epidemic, with a sizable reduction in interest rates from the Federal Reserve failing to stave off a drop in stocks and bond yields on Tuesday according to the New York Times.
Stocks rallied Wednesday, partially due to renewed optimism over a new $8.3 billion congressional spending package related to the federal response to the virus according to the Wall Street Journal.
In remarks made Monday in the White House Cabinet Room, President Trump detailed what the task force headed by Vice President Pence has been doing since its incorporation.
“The White House Coronavirus Task Force, led by Vice President Mike Pence, has been meeting daily and coordinating closely with the state and local governments,” the president said. “Mike had a call today with 53 governors, and I heard it was a very good call, and everybody is very well coordinated. And the governors and the states — all of them; I can’t think of an exception — they’ve been really working closely with us. It’s been […] a very good relationship.”
Read the FHA INFO notice.
