Fri 17 April 2020:
U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Thursday he is empowering state governors to decide when they will reopen their states to economic activity after mass closures caused by the novel coronavirus, even though such authority is not his to give.
Trump said during his daily evening press conference that the gradual processes will be undertaken by governors who “will be empowered” by his plan “to tailor an approach that meets the diverse circumstances of their own states.”
“If they need to remain closed, we will allow them to do that, and if they believe it is time to reopen, we will allow them the freedom and guidance to accomplish that task, and very, very quickly depending on what they want to do,” he said.
Trump has repeatedly and falsely sought to portray himself as the sole authority on when the country can reopen, saying on Monday he has “total authority” to decide when the U.S. reopens.
The Tenth Amendment of the Constitution defines the principal of federalism in the U.S. It states explicitly that “powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”
That article gives states what is known as “police powers,” which includes issuing and enforcing public health laws.
Indeed, state governors have been the ones to impose non-essential business shutdowns in their territories and called on residents to remain at home in a bid to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.
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