Is America Prepared to Fight the Coronavirus Successfully?
Tom Timberman • February 3, 2020
The following discussion draws on one article and an editorial in the Jan. 30, 2020 edition of the New York Times
(“Foreigners Airlifted from Chinese City at Heart of Coronavirus Outbreak” and “Is the World Ready for the Coronavirus?”). Updated statistics for Feb. 3 were found on CNN.
Status of Coronavirus Today:
Coronavirus is a viral infection identified in humans last December in Wuhan, China, a city of 11 million people. As of Feb. 3 there are 17,236 cases in China alone and it has spread to 25 countries, including the U.S. (more virulent than SARS in 2002-3). The death toll to date in China is 361, while 7 cases have been identified in the U.S. with no deaths. Globally, of those with coronavirus, only about 20% became seriously ill, although the epidemic is in its early days.
There is no international consensus yet on how to detect and prevent infection or how to proceed forward. Beijing has been reluctant to share analytical data of the virus itself.
Initially, the Chinese quarantined a region containing some 35 million people, now expanded to 65 million (total Chinese population is 1.4 billion). Other countries have focused on individuals who had recently visited China and those with whom they’ve had contact. Last week, the first person to person transmission in America was identified (husband to wife). However, people who have never visited China have been infected as well.
Status of Infections in U.S. Today:
To date, the U.S. has been able to deal successfully with the few coronavirus cases identified. Medical research experts in viral epidemics in the U.S. and Europe are working to develop an anti-serum because there is serious concern the number of cases will multiply.
Soon after the first American contracted the virus, President Trump announced that the “…outbreak is totally under control.” Many are unsure Mr. Trump was accurate, given the steps his Administration has taken to reduce the U.S. Government’s ability to combat such potential pandemics.
Over the past three years, the Administration has (1) eliminated the U.S. Government Office of Pandemic Response (created after the 2014 Ebola eruption), (2) severely cutback the U.S. Government’s overseas outbreak prevention programs from 49 to 10 countries, and (3) discontinued U.S. Government surveillance operations to identify new viral threats before they jump from animals to humans.
Potential Substantial Impact on Global Economies:
When the SARS virus broke out in China in 2002-03, China’s economic development had just begun to surge. It was manufacturing low-cost items, e.g., T-shirts, sneakers, and toys, but in large quantities for international markets including the U.S. In 2002 China’s GDP was $1.7 trillion.
In 2020, China continues to supply the world with low cost production, but is now a dominant producer of high-tech products, including smartphones, computers, and auto parts, and China itself is now a coveted market for American products; in 2019 GM sold more cars in China than in the U.S. And In 2019 China’s GDP was $14 trillion, second only to the U.S.
America’s semiconductor sector has manufacturing centers in China, which is also a major market. Qualcom depends on China for 47 percent of its annual revenue. Ben May, a global economist at Oxford Economics, described the problem: “If you run out of widgets essential to your production and all widgets come from China, your assembly lines will stop.“ The former chief economist at the U.S. Department of Commerce put it this way: “If a vast swath of a country (China) the whole world depends on as a manufacturing workshop closes down, that’s a major international problem.”
Yes, China is a very important player in the global economy, particularly in its supply chains, but why is the coronavirus going to damage U.S. and other countries? The reasons are simple: China is trying to control the contagion by preventing its citizens in affected cities and regions from leaving them. Similarly, the Chinese government is shuttering large factories, assembly plants, and other locations where people congregate in large numbers, e.g., schools, universities, government offices, etc. International retailers like Walmart, McDonalds and Starbucks have closed their Chinese outlets.
Foreign countries with a large number of citizens present in China are transporting them home. The U.S. flew some 200 Americans from China to Alaska where they are quarantined for 2-3 weeks. Major international airlines have stopped flying to or from China. Nationals of industrialized nations (6 major economies) are prevented from traveling to China and the U.S. (and others) will not allow Chinese to enter their country.
Conclusion:
Basically, China is shut down and cut off from much of the world it traveled to, did business with, and manufactured and supplied parts for. In the 19th Century, those with leprosy were kept on distant islands. Father Damien, a Catholic priest, cared for hundreds of leprosy victims on Molokai in what is now Hawaii. China is “on Molokai” until the world is satisfied the coronavirus is no longer a threat.
Common Sense for the Eastern Shore
Right now, Congress is working on a fast-track bill that would make historic cuts to basic needs programs in order to finance another round of tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations.
The House Agriculture Committee recently voted, along party lines, to advance legislation that would cut as much as $300 million from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program, helping more than 41 million people in the U.S. pay for food. With potential cuts this large, it helps to know who benefits from this program in Maryland, and who would lose this assistance. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities compiled data on SNAP beneficiaries by congressional district, cited below, and produced the Maryland state datasheet , shown below. In Maryland, in 2023-24, 1 in 9 people lived in a household with SNAP benefits. In Maryland’s First Congressional District, in 2023-24: Almost 34,000 households used SNAP benefits. Of those households, 43% had at least one senior (over age 60). 29% of SNAP recipients were people of color. 15% were Black, non-Hispanic, higher than 11.8% nationally. 6% were Hispanic (19.4% nationally). There were 24,700 total veterans (ages 18-64). Of those, 2,200 lived in households that used SNAP benefits (9%). The CBPP SNAP datasheet for Maryland is below. See data from all the states and download factsheets here.
Apparently, some people think that the GOP’s “big beautiful bill” is a foregone conclusion, and that the struggle over the budget and Trump’s agenda is over and done. Not true. On Sunday night, the bill — given the alternate name “Big Bad Bullsh*t Bill” by the Democratic Women’s Caucus — was voted out of the House Budget Committee. The GOP plan is to pass this legislation in the House before Memorial Day. But that’s not the end of it. As Jessica Craven explained in her Chop Wood Carry Water column: “Remember, we have at least six weeks left in this process. The bill has to: Pass the House, Then head to the Senate where it will likely be rewritten almost completely, Then be passed there, Then be brought back to the House for reconciliation, And then, if the House changes that version at all, Go back to the Senate for another vote.” She adds, “Every step of that process is a place for us to kill it.” The bill is over a thousand pages long, and the American people will not get a chance to read it until it has passed the House. But, thanks to 5Calls , we know it includes:
Let's talk about our Eastern Shore Delegation, the representatives who are supposed to fight for our nine Shore counties in Annapolis, and what they actually got up to this session.
For the first time in recent memory, Virginia Democrats have candidates running in all 100 House of Delegates districts — a milestone party leaders and grassroots organizers say reflects rising momentum as President Donald Trump’s second term continues to galvanize opposition.
The 447th legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly adjourned on April 8. This End of Session Report highlights the work Shore Progress has done to fight for working families and bring real results home to the Shore. Over the 90-day session, lawmakers debated 1,901 bills and passed 878 into law. Shore Progress and members supported legislation that delivers for the Eastern Shore, protecting our environment, expanding access to housing and healthcare, strengthening workers’ rights, and more. Shore Progress Supported Legislation By The Numbers: Over 60 pieces of our backed legislation were passed. Another 15 passed in one Chamber but not the other. Legislation details are below, past the budget section. The 2026 Maryland State Budget How We Got Here: Maryland’s budget problems didn’t start overnight. They began under Governor Larry Hogan. Governor Hogan expanded the state budget yearly but blocked the legislature from moving money around or making common-sense changes. Instead of fixing the structural issues, Hogan used federal covid relief funds to hide the cracks and drained our state’s savings from $5.5 billion to $2.3 billion to boost his image before leaving office. How Trump/Musk Made It Worse: Maryland is facing a new fiscal crisis driven by the Trump–Musk administration, whose trade wars, tariff policies, and deep federal cuts have hit us harder than most, costing the state over 30,000 jobs, shuttering offices, and erasing promised investments. A University of Maryland study estimates Trump’s tariffs alone could cost us $2 billion, and those federal cuts have already added $300 million to our budget deficit. Covid aid gave us a short-term boost and even created a fake surplus under Hogan, but that money is gone, while housing, healthcare, and college prices keep rising. The Trump–Musk White House is only making things worse by slashing funding, gutting services, and eliminating research that Marylanders rely on. How The State Budget Fixes These Issues: This year, Maryland faced a $3 billion budget gap, and the General Assembly fixed it with a smart mix of cuts and fair new revenue, while protecting working families, schools, and health care. The 2025 Budget cuts $1.9 billion ($400 million less than last year) without gutting services people rely on. The General Assembly raised $1.2 billion in fair new revenue, mostly from the wealthiest Marylanders. The Budget ended with a $350 million surplus, plus $2.4 billion saved in the Rainy Day Fund (more than 9% of general fund revenue), which came in $7 million above what the Spending Affordability Committee called for. The budget protects funding for our schools, health care, transit, and public workers. The budget delivers real wins: $800 million more annually for transit and infrastructure, plus $500 million for long-term transportation needs. It invests $9.7 billion in public schools and boosts local education aid by $572.5 million, a 7% increase. If current revenue trends hold, no new taxes will be needed next session. Even better, 94% of Marylanders will see a tax cut or no change, while only the wealthiest 5% will finally pay their fair share. The tax system is smarter now. We’re: Taxing IT and data services like Texas and D.C. do; Raising taxes on cannabis and sports betting, not groceries or medicine; and Letting counties adjust income taxes. The budget also restores critical funding: $122 million for teacher planning $15 million for cancer research $11 million for crime victims $7 million for local business zones, and Continued support for public TV, the arts, and BCCC The budget invests in People with disabilities, with $181 million in services Growing private-sector jobs with $139 million in funding, including $27.5 million for quantum tech, $16 million for the Sunny Day Fund, and $10 million for infrastructure loans. Health care is protected for 1.5 million Marylanders, with $15.6 billion for Medicaid and higher provider pay. Public safety is getting a boost too, with $60 million for victim services, $5.5 million for juvenile services, and $5 million for parole and probation staffing. This budget also tackles climate change with $100 million for clean energy and solar projects, and $200 million in potential ratepayer relief. Public workers get a well-deserved raise, with $200 million in salary increases, including a 1% COLA and ~2.5% raises for union workers. The ultra-wealthy will finally chip in to pay for it: People earning over $750,000 will pay more, Millionaires will pay 6.5%, and Capital gains over $350,000 get a 2% surcharge. Deductions are capped for high earners, but working families can still deduct student loans, medical debt, and donations. This budget is bold, fair, and built to last. That’s why Shore Progress proudly supports it. Click on the arrows below for details in each section.
