Trump working with multiple industries to identify best time to reopen country

WASHINGTON (SBG) – At the White House Wednesday, President Donald Trump got more input on when to reopen the country, just as states design their own plans. He spoke with industry leaders in banking, farming, healthcare and sports in an attempt to identify the best time to get millions of Americans back to work.

White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway explained the strategy.

"They want to help Americans, 17 million of whom have claimed unemployment. Many more who are claiming unemployment insurance, I believe," said Conway. "About a third of renters who didn’t pay their rent last month because they couldn’t. You’ve got people who’s financial circumstances changed just like that so we’re trying to help them.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom insisted in his state that science, not politics, will be their guide.

"In two weeks, if we see a continued decline, not just flattening, but decline in hospitalizations and ICUs and we see this workforce, and the infrastructure, and PPE needs met as we anticipate around May, first week in May, to start seeing the benefits and fruits of that, ask me the question then and we will be in a very different place where we can be more prescriptive on giving people timelines," said Newsom. "I know you want the timeline, but we can't get ahead of ourselves and dream of regretting."

The White House acknowledged that it won't be one-size-fits-all.

"There are 24, I think, 24% of our counties this year right now, 24% have no outbreak whatsoever and about 29 states feel they could come back on line a little bit more robustly,” said Conway.

In the meantime, there's congressional debate on how much -- on top of the $2.2 trillion already being distributed -- should be added.

“We’re not gonna spend our way out of this and let’s also acknowledge, yes, the coronavirus kills people but poverty kills people too," explained Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Illinois). "When people don't have a paycheck, they don’t have the ability to make money, they’re gonna have the rely on the government. We play a role, but I think you’re gonna have to balance that, with again, getting us back to some normality and moving towards a recovery sooner rather than later.”

For those wondering where to find out about receiving stimulus money, if they haven't already gotten it, there is a new IRS webpage to help track it.