April 18, 2020 at 6:56 AM EDT
Trump foments resistance to Democratic-imposed shutdowns, but some GOP governors are also wary of moving too fast
President Trump on Friday amplified his call to reopen the country, suggesting citizens should “liberate” themselves even as governors and local officials in areas he said were ready to return to normal expressed concern about moving too soon.
Republican governors have been slow to embrace Trump’s call to lift statewide stay-at-home orders in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic that is killing thousands of Americans. And Democratic governors have increasingly denounced what they describe as a lack of federal leadership in a response effort plagued by shortfalls in testing and equipment.
On Friday, Texas announced a plan for loosening restrictions on economic activity. But the proposal by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) made few immediate changes to the stay-at-home order and left many decisions for the end of the month after consultations with a new “strike force” of business leaders and medical professionals.
By Isaac Stanley-Becker, Toluse Olorunnipa and Seung Min Kim