Volley of Washington, Oregon orders like 'policy pingpong'
Each day it seemed a like a new order was put into place in
On
Watching the orders fly back and forth between the governors, who lead neighboring states, was like watching "policy pingpong," said
"You are getting a lot of pressure from your constituents, and other people in government," Moore said. "Are you doing the right thing, and soon enough to make a difference? Having a neighboring state just adds pressure."
Making matters more difficult for the governors has been the response, or lack of response at times, at the federal level. President
Legislators have been disappointed in Trump's delayed order of the Defense Production Act, which helps boost personal protection equipment and ventilator supplies.
"In the absence of leadership from the president and federal government, governors, mayors and public health authorities at the state and local level had no choice but to lead on containing and managing the coronavirus epidemic," Adolph said in a
Adolph said states where leaders delay social distancing measures could see greater caseloads and more hospital system strain than states where officials act early and decisively.
If some states don't take the response as seriously, that could lead to a re-emergence of outbreaks, given how hyper-mobile the
Thorpe, who served as deputy assistant secretary at the
But Thorpe also said the federal government should lead the way when it comes to virus mitigation measures, such as social distancing. After
"You want some uniform federal rules," Thorpe said. "Several states have done stay-at-home rules, and from what we can tell, it looks like the social distancing measures can have an effect. There's some early data that shows these measures may be providing some assistance."
So far, the biggest missteps from the federal government have been tied to a slow, botched rollout of COVID-19 testing, Thorpe said. That rollout, which included faulty lab kits and issues in getting labs certified for testing, "really cost a lot of time," Thorpe said.
Now, supply-chain issues have started to trickle down, and counties have encountered problems procuring testing supplies such as swabs and protective gear for medical workers. States are now competing for important resources, and this has created a "Darwinian approach to federalism," as former
Some of Trump's aides see the pandemic as a great test of local leadership, as
Recently, Trump has feuded with Inslee, a former presidential candidate and critic of the president, and told governors they should be "appreciative" to him if they want aid. On Sunday, Trump called Inslee a "nasty person." Inslee responded that he won't let the personal attacks get in the way of
According to The Associated Press, Inslee pushed back against Trump on a phone call with governors last week, when Trump said the federal government would serve as "backup," while
"I don't want you to be the backup quarterback, we need you to be
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