Warren to ask Trump to deploy Military Corps of Engineers for coronavirus assist

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), the one-time Democratic presidential hopeful, will ask President Donald Trump to deploy a part of the army throughout the nation to show present amenities into hospitals as a part of the nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Warren, a member of the Senate Armed Companies Committee, will ship a letter to the president with the request on Wednesday. Within the letter, obtained by Vox earlier than its launch, she’s going to insist that Trump direct the Army Corps of Engineers to retrofit present buildings to take care of Covid-19 sufferers.

“Given the truth of the exponential development of the virus, supplemental infrastructure should be designated and able to obtain sufferers instantly,” the senator writes. “The Military Corps is in place to assist handle this public well being emergency by changing present house into non permanent medical facilities. Taking this motion will save lives.”

“I urge you to direct the Secretary of Protection to activate the Military Corps in executing this mission nationwide,” she provides, noting that troops ought to assist civilian leaders of their response efforts. She additionally mentioned the Military Corps ought to assess present amenities that may very well be used for medical causes in case of emergency.

After I requested the senator’s aide how the US ought to pay for these initiatives, the reply was that Warren “helps taking DoD army building funds beforehand diverted for wall building and diverting them to complement the federal authorities’s coronavirus response.”

Brendan Smialowski/AFP by way of Getty Photos

Protection Secretary Mark Esper appeared open to deploying the army crew throughout a Tuesday press briefing, although mentioned nothing of easy methods to pay for his or her work.

“I’m greater than prepared to ship the Military Corps of Engineers out to work with states and to see what we are able to present, what we are able to supply,” he instructed reporters. “The Corps of Engineers is a contracting physique that does program oversight and work, and if we will be helpful, if we may help, actually prepared to offer that — that service.”

Hours later, Esper revealed on Fox News that the Military Corps will grant New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s request to work within the state and handle its scarcity of hospital beds. “I gave him my full dedication that we’d get the Corps of Engineers up there soonest, to evaluate the issue and see how we may help out,” the secretary instructed Brett Baier.

Why the Military Corps may very well be helpful within the coronavirus response

The Military Corps has performed this type of work earlier than.

In 2014, members of them team were sent to Liberia as a part of America’s Ebola outbreak response in West Africa. Throughout their roughly six-month deployment, they constructed remedy items and helped with logistics like transport. It’s no shock, then, {that a} growing chorus of experts need the Military Corps extra concerned within the US coronavirus effort.

There are two vital issues to learn about that crew, although. First, it often takes its requests for complicated initiatives — like constructing dams — from states, not the president. Second, numerous what it does is handle, plan, and engineer initiatives — but it surely sometimes contracts out most of the precise constructing obligations to the personal sector.

Brad Carson, the highest Military personnel official from 2015 to 2016, instructed me that Trump can direct the Military Corps to do what he needs. “The president can ask them to construct something,” he mentioned. “They’re a part of the US Military, and he’s commander in chief.” What’s extra, he and others famous, there are methods to expedite the contracting course of to start to get wanted supplies and labor to start out main initiatives now.

Some, although, say different army members can construct what the senator is asking for with out involving the Military Corps. “The common Military and Nationwide Guard may do numerous one of these work. “It’s not like constructing huge dams,” says Andrew Weber, the Pentagon’s prime organic protection official from 2011 to 2014. “We’d like quick, uniformed personnel offering labor and management.”

Whether or not the Military Corps change into concerned or not, there are a lot of in energy who need extra medical facilities accessible to deal with sufferers. And for the second, it’s unclear if Trump is a type of individuals.