Trump may declare national disaster to free up funds for coronavirus: source familiar

By Reuters Staff

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump is flanked by Vice President Mike Pence and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as he speaks to members of the news media following a closed Senate Republican policy lunch meeting to discuss the response to the coronavirus outbreak with senators on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 10, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a declaring a national disaster to free up funds for the federal government’s response to the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Such a declaration, under the Stafford Act, could free up as much as $40 billion in immediate aid, according to Politico.

Reporting by Steve Holland

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