Exclusive: NY Gov. Cuomo speaks out after declaring state of emergency over coronavirus
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo joins 'Sunday Moring Futures' to discuss the growing number of coronavirus cases in his state.
This is a rush transcript from "Sunday Morning Futures," March 8, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
MARIA BARTIROMO, ANCHOR: Good Sunday morning, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me.
I'm Maria Bartiromo. Welcome to "Sunday Morning Futures."
Six states have declared a state of emergency, as coronavirus continues to spread across the country. Italy is closing its borders, with 16 million people right now under quarantine in the northern part of Italy.
This as New York has declared a state of emergency amidst the number of coronavirus cases spiking across the country.
Coming up in this exclusive interview, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is here to address the worrisome signs and what to do next.
Plus, he was named one of TIME magazine's top 20 physicians and scientists in the country. White House task force member and renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson what's about to change in the face of this deadly disease.
Also here, Congress moving to help, as President Trump signs into law and $8.3 billion stimulus package to address the economic impact of coronavirus, among other impacts.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy joins me live, along with Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Doug Collins, to talk about that and this week's markup of FISA surveillance tools, which are about to expire.
Then, Four-Star General Jack Keane on whether the fallout from coronavirus is all too much for Chinese President Xi Jinping's continued tenure, as the general gets set to receive the highest civilian honor ever from the president this week.
All that and a lot more, as we look ahead right now on "Sunday Morning Futures."
And we begin this Sunday morning with the very latest on coronavirus.
There are more than 400 confirmed cases of the virus now, 19 deaths in the United States; 89 of those confirmed cases are in New York state.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has declared a state of emergency due to this virus.
He joins me now in an exclusive interview.
And, Governor, it's a pleasure to see you this morning. Thanks very much for being here.
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO, D-N.Y.: Good to be with you, Maria.
BARTIROMO: Tell me about the state of emergency. Why declare it? What does that mean for the rest of us? What do we need to understand?
CUOMO: Yes, it sounds more alarming than it is, state of emergency.
It's actually an administrative action, Maria, so the state can move a little faster governmentally. We need to purchase supplies, equipment. We need to hire staff.
And the state has some flexibility in administrative operations once you declare a -- quote, unquote -- "state of emergency."
So, especially at these times, it sounds more alarming than it actually means.
BARTIROMO: OK.
So, I know that you want to make sure people stay calm, and you don't want a lot of panic, on top of everything we're hearing and everything we're seeing.
Are you expecting this to get a lot worse, the number of cases spiking in the last day? I know that's partly because we're beginning testing. I want to ask you about the test kits in a moment. But how -- how severe is this going to get?
CUOMO: Yes, the -- Maria, it's -- it's important that we communicate clearly. You're exactly right.
I don't want -- people to stay calm, and, therefore, I'm telling them what I need to tell them to keep them calm. If they know the facts, they will be calm.
Yes, we're testing aggressively. Yes, you will see the number of tests -- people who test positive going up. Yes, a large number of people will be infected, is my guess, by the end of the day.
But remember what we're really trying to do here is avoid the massive disruption of closing everything down for two weeks, the way China did, the way Italy is doing. And we're trying to protect the vulnerable populations for whom this coronavirus could really be dangerous, senior citizens, immune-compromised.
That's what we're trying to do. We're not dealing with Ebola virus. We're not dealing with a SARS virus. You have to keep in perspective, if I get the -- if I get coronavirus, what is going to happen to me, right? That's what people want to know.
And it's not -- it's like a bad flu. Unless you're in the vulnerable populations, you will you will most likely get sick, and then you will recover.
But we want to try to contain it because we don't want to go to these massive quarantines that you're seeing in other countries, and we don't want to expose our vulnerable populations.
BARTIROMO: Let me ask you about mass transit, because, already, we have seen Amtrak announce that it is shutting down the Acela service until May.
Are you planning on shutting down mass transit?
CUOMO: Look, what we do here is, we calibrate to the facts as we know them at the time. So, as the facts change, you change your strategy.
But, at this time, there's no reason to close down mass transit, Maria. We haven't had -- to the extent we have big numbers in New York, it's actually in Westchester, which is a suburban community, as you know, where you have a cluster of cases.
And once you get that cluster, they tend to exponentially increase. And that's what we're dealing with in Westchester.
But, in New York City, we have a relatively minor number so far.
BARTIROMO: Well, you mentioned Westchester, as many as 70 cases in Westchester, many linked to that one individual who got it through community transmission.
Tell us about that case. And he commuted on Metro North. So, I mean, it's an easy -- it's an obvious question. If he got it on Metro North, if there's community transmission, how vulnerable is public transit?
CUOMO: Yes.
Well, you would have known by now, right, because the manifestation period is about a couple -- a couple of weeks. So, if people had gotten it next to him, in that situation, you would see -- be seeing the cases now.
Westchester is interesting, and we're keeping an eye on it, because it was one individual, who then attended a number of large gatherings. And that's where you're seeing the spread. And that's what we have to keep in mind.
It's these large gatherings where you can expose a number of people in a very short period of time. And then it's like dominoes, right? Then you just -- then the tree continues to expand with branches. And that's what we're seeing in Westchester.
We're up to about 70 cases in Westchester now. New York City, we only have 11. So, you really see what can happen with those large gatherings and the cluster. And that's what we have to focus on.
BARTIROMO: And that's why Amtrak suspended service. It just suspended service between D.C. and New York. But it was the Acela service between D.C. and New York that they're not going to start up again until May.
Let me ask you about the testing. Why are we starting the testing now, Governor? Because we have known this now for, what, about two months? I know there was an issue with the CDC sending the states tests and then saying, wait, don't take the test yet. They're defective.
Do you have effective tests now? Are you limited on the number of tests that you have?
CUOMO: Look, testing is limited.
And this is I think, Maria, one of the main issues we have, both in reality and in perception. When you wonder why people are so anxious and the fear, it's because the information they're getting tends to change. And they're getting mixed messages.
And probably the single most important thing we can do substantively now is testing. And it hasn't been done well. I believe the CDC was caught flat- footed. We knew this was coming. We were watching China. You would have to be in denial if you didn't think what was happening in China was going to wind up here.
CDC wasn't ready when it started. Number two, CDC handcuffed the states. I needed their approval to do my own testing. We have very sophisticated labs, governmental labs, in this state. They didn't approve the New York labs to test for a period of time.
It then even got larger, and now we don't have the ability to do it, to manage the flow in our state lab. We want to use private labs, who can do automated testing, which exponentially increases the number of tests.
We can't get CDC to approve the automated testing.
And then, to compound this issue, their messages are all over the place, frankly. You have the president of the United States stand up and say, anybody who wants to test can have a test. And then you have the vice president stand up and say, we don't have the capacity to test.
And we don't have the capacity to test. We can't say to people in this country or in this state, anyone who wants a test can have a test. It's just not true.
And that's what causes the panic and the fear. And then you're off to the races.
What we did here in New York is, we have a protocol. I can't test everyone. We will prioritize testing. And you can't bring more people in the front door than you can let out the back door. You can't invite more people for a test than you can perform tests.
So, we have a statewide protocol, Maria, because we don't want people shopping from place to place. I don't want someone to say, on Long Island, well, I will drive to Manhattan or I will drive to Westchester.
One statewide protocol that calibrates the -- who should be tested with how many tests we can do.
And the CDC has to allow private labs to come in, has to allow automated testing, because we don't have the testing capacity, period.
BARTIROMO: There's really a fiasco around these testing kits.
Let me ask you about schools. This past week, we saw two schools close. They are apparently going to be opening on Monday. That's Collegiate and Spence.
Are you worried about schools? And are you expecting more school closings, given the fact that we understand children can be carriers? They may not have any symptoms. We certainly haven't had a lot of numbers in terms of young people, and nobody under the age of 9, frankly, but what about children being carriers and the idea that more schools may close?
CUOMO: Again, Maria, it's calibration to the facts you have at that time.
I -- if we need to close schools, we will close schools. We have closed schools. We have just closed additional schools for a longer period of time in Westchester County, where we have that cluster. Some schools have closed on their own.
Remember, during the normal flu season, you have some schools that close to disinfect the school. But we have closed schools. We will close more as the facts demand.
BARTIROMO: What is this going to do to the economy of New York, Governor?
I mean, obviously, there's going to be an economic impact, as companies are unable to sell products, because many of those products are made in China. The parts and the -- the components are made in China. There's conferences being closed left and right.
What kind of an economic impact are you expecting in New York this year?
CUOMO: Yes, it's a very good question.
We're worried about it for New York. Obviously, the financial markets are very important to New York. But I think it's going to be a national issue, Maria. And I think it depends on how well we do containment and how we -- that's what this testing is all about.
Find the positives, quarantine the positives, contain it the best you can, because if you have to do a massive close-down like China, like Italy, that's going to hurt this nation's economy. It'll hurt this state, but it's going to be a national phenomenon.
And that's why we have to get this testing done quickly, and we have to be successful in containment. Otherwise, you will have massive closings, which will hurt the economy, and, again, will put our vulnerable populations at risk.
BARTIROMO: And even as the health care workers who are on the front lines -- I mean, do we have enough beds in hospitals? Do you need to look toward the military to create more clinics and hospitals?
I mean, it's already a stressed health care situation. We're getting a number of the active ingredients in our prescription drugs, like antibiotics, from China. And that's also going to expect -- we're expecting shortages there.
So what about our hospital workers? What are you doing? What is the plan to keep them safe?
CUOMO: We are working on contingency plans right across the board. We do have the medical capacity. We have the number of beds we need, and we will have the medical capacity.
Again, why are we doing this? Contain -- take the testing, do the containment, so you don't have to do more drastic measures.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
CUOMO: You don't want to do a mass quarantine. And it's the vulnerable populations.
You look at the numbers. We have 100 people, let's say, in this state about. We have a handful that are in hospitals. Johns Hopkins has traced 100,000 cases. People get sick. People recover, unless they're in the vulnerable population.
So we have to keep that in focus, because worse than the virus right now, Maria, is the fear pandemic.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
CUOMO: People are afraid. They don't know who to believe. They're not trusting their government.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
CUOMO: They're getting different messages. The fear is more dangerous than the virus. The fear is more dangerous than the virus.
BARTIROMO: What can the public do? And do you have confidence that you are working with this administration to do everything you can?
I know that you have had issues. You're in negotiations right now with the administration in terms of opening up your DMV data. New York's the only state that won't let the Fed see the DMV data. And now a lot of New Yorkers are in jeopardy of losing their trusted travel programs like Global Entry.
Where are you on that, sir?
CUOMO: Yes, I don't want to -- I don't want to disagree with you so early on a Sunday morning.
On this issue, 10 states allow undocumented people to get driver's licenses. This state allowed people, undocumented people, to get driver's licenses before 9/11.
Why? Because a state has a vested interest in making sure that people who are on the roads have a driver's license. My daughters, your family are driving on the roads.
BARTIROMO: Right.
CUOMO: I want to make sure the other drivers passed a driving test.
So we have undocumented drivers. DHS, Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Patrol wants access to our undocumented drivers.
BARTIROMO: Right.
CUOMO: I can't give them access to the undocumented drivers, because they want it because they want to deport them.
(CROSSTALK)
BARTIROMO: So, are we going to all lose Global Entry? I mean, are New Yorkers are going to lose -- so, we're going to lose our trusted travel programs?
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: Hold -- so, the FBI, which is the federal government, has access to all of this data now.
The FBI has it. So, when you say the federal government doesn't have it, the federal government does have it.
BARTIROMO: That's not what Chad Wolf says.
CUOMO: The Department of Homeland Security is personally offended that -- no, no.
BARTIROMO: Oh, I see. OK.
CUOMO: He said, Customs and Border Patrol doesn't have it.
Ah. The FBI has it. I said, go get it from the FBI. He said, no, the Customs and Border Patrol should have it. And if you don't give it to us, we're going to cancel the trusted traveler program, which are 200,000 people who are previously approved...
BARTIROMO: OK.
CUOMO: ... by the federal government with an in-person interview.
They're holding the trusted traveler program hostage until -- because they want me to turn over to Customs and Border Patrol undocumented people. They're holding it hostage.
BARTIROMO: OK.
CUOMO: It's leverage. It's extortion. It's wrong.
BARTIROMO: Wow.
CUOMO: So, the federal government does have it, Maria, because the FBI has it.
BARTIROMO: I'm going to tell Chad Wolf, homeland security secretary, next time he comes.
Real quick, Governor, before you go, are you going to rethink this bail reform law, sir? Because we see the crime numbers. They're up. You definitely saw The Wall Street Journal op-ed today, "The No-Bail Fiasco in New York."
Bottom line, will you propose or support that judges have the discretion to let out criminals as they see fit and change this bail reform situation, which has caused crime numbers to go shooting up?
CUOMO: We have been -- no, I don't -- we have been improving the bail reform.
Look, bail reform for many years was based on how much money you had, Maria. That's what cash bail is. If you're rich, you will get out. If you're poor, you sit. That's an injustice, not justice.
We made that change. We're going to make more changes.
I understand the fear. I understand the criticism. I said that I'm working on it. And I believe we're going to get something done in the budget on April 1.
BARTIROMO: So you think you will get judges having the discretion that they should have?
CUOMO: I think we will have -- I understand the issues that they have raised.
BARTIROMO: Right.
CUOMO: I think judges are part of the system. And I'm working with the legislature.
But I think we're going to get a good resolution by April 1.
BARTIROMO: All right, Governor, this -- I could talk to you...
CUOMO: What else?
BARTIROMO: ... all day, because we have got so many issues to talk about.
CUOMO: What else?
BARTIROMO: I mean, do you want to see a brokered convention? Is Biden better for you to run up against President Trump, or is Bernie better? What do you like better, Governor?
CUOMO: OK. I will -- well, between -- I haven't endorsed between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.
But I will tell you this. Donald Trump is afraid of Joe Biden. Otherwise, Rudy Giuliani, who's a very busy person, doesn't run around Ukraine, and the president doesn't get on the phone with Ukraine talking about Joe Biden, unless he's afraid of Joe Biden.
And if you're running against someone you're afraid of, that's a bad race to be in, Maria.
(LAUGHTER)
BARTIROMO: Governor, it's good to see you this morning. We're going to be watching your leadership in this very tested moment in time that we are in, in New York.
Thank you, sir.
CUOMO: Thank you.
New York is proud of you, Maria.
BARTIROMO: Thank you so much, sir, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo joining us there.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARTIROMO: Welcome back.
President Trump visiting the CDC on Friday, as he urged people to stay calm as the coronavirus continues to spread.
My next guest accompanied the president to the briefing in Atlanta.
Georgia Congressman Doug Collins is with me. He is also the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee,
Congressman, it's good to see you. Thanks very much for joining us.
REP. DOUG COLLINS (R-GA): Good morning.
BARTIROMO: What did you learn on your visit with the president to the CDC, sir?
COLLINS: Well, what we learned was is, the administration is still on top of this. They're still moving forward.
And I think there's some interesting things learned. Number one -- and I just heard the governor of New York talk about everybody being tested.
Maria, what the CDC made very clear the other day is everyone who needs a test has a test to have. This idea that you need to test everybody is not really an applicable situation, when you're trying to make sure that you're isolating the known cases, so that you can make proper treatment.
And that was what was said the other day at the CDC, that everyone who needs a test -- any doctor who needs a test can get that test done. And that is good for us to isolate the cases to make sure that we're doing a proper response.
We also know that more test kits are coming out. And Secretary Azar stated there will be a million and more in the next weeks to come out. So, those are going to be there for everybody that goes forward.
And the other thing that I think the president made it clear and also Dr. Redfield and the others at the CDC was is that they have been on this from day one. This was even something that you would never hear in most of the media, was that there seemed to be this delayed response.
Even the governor talked about this. But the CDC from the minute they found out had -- began the process of working toward, just as they do any natural -- any naturally occurring virus like this, to begin the process of working toward it.
So I think the reassurance that the president was at CDC doing and making sure the American people knew that we were on top of this was the biggest thing coming out of that the other day.
BARTIROMO: Well, I mean, that's true.
But, at the same time, I know that the CDC sent out 50 test kits to 50 states and then said, wait, don't -- don't use the tests, they're defective tests.
So, there was -- there was a mistake there somehow. Why send out 50 states to -- the test kits, if they actually weren't usable? And so we don't really have a clear number in terms of how many people are sick because we couldn't -- we couldn't do the testing, right?
COLLINS: Well, no, I think that's a -- that was a mistake sent out that was corrected very quickly.
BARTIROMO: I see.
COLLINS: I think having a clear number of -- having a clear number of how many people have the viruses is an ongoing asset.
And that's one of the things that the CDC has said and the administration has said. There are some people who actually may have this virus and get sick, but they don't actually go to the doctor. There's a lot of things in process here.
That's why we're making sure -- and I think the money that we passed this past week that the president signed is important, because it allows the states, it allows the -- beginning to talk about people who need to be quarantined, need to have the medical treatment to have everything that they need.
And we need to make sure that people do the basic stuff. The surgeon general has talked about this, a lot have, is, wash your hands, stay out of crowds if you're sick. If you know there's -- that it's going to be a problem, make sure that you take the proper precautions, just as you do with every other thing.
And I think there's been a heightened awareness of that. And I think you're going to see these cases contained. And as they do come up as we go forward, we're going to be able to have a good response to it, because the resources are already available for that.
BARTIROMO: We're going to speak with Dr. Carson in a moment. He's on the task force, of course, the White House task force.
And I want to ask him about hospitals and why they are preparing for millions of people to go to the hospital, millions. I mean, that's a question for Dr. Carson coming up.
But let me ask you, Congressman, you have got a very important deadline this upcoming week on March 15. The FISA surveillance tool, certain FISA surveillance tools will expire. Do you have the votes, do you believe, to actually expand these surveillance tools?
Where does this FISA reauthorization go next week?
COLLINS: Well, that's a great question.
You and I have been talking about this issue for a long time. The FISA issue is something that we need to take time now to actually not only look at these extensions -- and, remember, there's two parts to FISA. There's the actual FISA part that is in law. That's the court that was set up in the '70s that is in permanent law.
It doesn't come up for renewal. And then you have extra parts that came up through the Patriot Act and others, like the lone wolf provision, roving wiretaps, those things that do come up in a sunset, so we have to approve those.
And my position and I think the House's position -- and, actually, the president has mentioned this as well -- is now is our time to actually look at what needs to happen with the court itself, so that we don't get another Carter Page, we don't get another president, like President Trump, as a candidate and as president, was attacked by rogue cabal at the DOJ abusing the FISA process.
We have been working on this for over a year-and-a-half. And I think the House now is in no position to pass anything that doesn't have some actual Title I changes, which is the actual court itself, so that we can protect American citizens in sensitive areas.
That's being worked on. I have been working on that through the weekend. We're continuing to work on that. I really wish that the Senate over the past year had -- they have been in the majority -- had had more hearings and stuff on this, because, from the minority position, we have been working hard.
And now we need to help -- to help this president and help any future president or any political opponent not have the FISA court abusing their rights.
BARTIROMO: So, it sounds like you don't have the votes to clear a clean FISA next week?
COLLINS: No, I don't think we do. And I think that's a good thing.
I think that's good for the president. I think it's good for the country, because, Maria, how many times have you and I talked about...
BARTIROMO: Yes.
COLLINS: ... the fact that people have lost trust in the Department of Justice. They lost trust in the FISA court.
And, remember, the FISA court was put into place from the -- in -- the in the '70s because of abuses in the intelligence system and abuses among law enforcement.
BARTIROMO: Right.
COLLINS: Does that not sound familiar today?
BARTIROMO: Well...
COLLINS: If it was worth reevaluating then, we need to reevaluate it now.
BARTIROMO: Well, you're right.
And we keep talking about it. And I have been talking about it with Lindsey Graham as well. Now Senator Graham has started interviews, I guess, but is it too late, too little too late?
I mean, are we going to actually get accountability? My audience wants accountability. And so far, we haven't seen many interviews, subpoenas from Lindsey Graham.
COLLINS: Well, I'd like to see more. And I think that's the thing we have been pushing for, for the last year.
In the House, we have been at the tip of the spear.
BARTIROMO: I know.
COLLINS: We fought the sham impeachment. We fought Mueller.
I mean, we have done this all day. And so I'm hopeful that, with the majority in the Senate, they're going to continue that. I'm glad to see that they finally got started. I'd love to see more of that. It was amazing this past week...
BARTIROMO: Yes.
COLLINS: ... when Ron Johnson was actually -- Senator Johnson was trying to actually do something, that Mitt Romney, all of a sudden, decided he was going to possibly object to subpoenas.
We have got to get over this. This happened, an abuse of our system. And it is something that goes back to the very integral part of what the DOJ does, especially when it comes to political foes.
And when they attacked President Trump, when they attacked then candidate Trump and tried to cover it up and use FISA, there's nobody in this country that could be immune from that kind of abuse.
BARTIROMO: Yes, I'm glad you mentioned Senator Romney. I'm going to talk about that with Kevin McCarthy coming up, GOP minority leader.
Congressman, it's always a pleasure to see you, sir. Thanks so much.
COLLINS: Good to see you, Maria. Take care.
BARTIROMO: Doug Collins joining us there.
So, are U.S. officials prepared for what could be widespread coronavirus and the outbreak coming?
We get more into that with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, plus Dr. Ben Carson, all coming up, as we look ahead on "Sunday Morning Futures."
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BARTIROMO: Welcome back.
President Trump this week signed an $8.3 billion spending package to fight and treat coronavirus. The bill passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support, with only three GOP lawmakers voting against it.
Joining me right now is House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. He is a Republican from California.
Good to see you, sir. Thanks very much for being here.
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY, R-CALI.: Thanks for having me.
BARTIROMO: Three Republicans voting against it, I don't get that at all in the middle of a crisis, sir.
MCCARTHY: No. And you would have to ask them.
But what's even worse about this, we should have -- we should have had this bill a week earlier. The Democrats actually held this bill, so Congresswoman Bustos, who runs the DCCC, could run ads against Republicans.
There should be no politics in this, because, as you said, Maria, this is very serious, and we should take it for the seriousness that it should be, $8.3 billion.
BARTIROMO: So...
MCCARTHY: And it does three main things, testing, treatment, and telehealth, which is very important, because what you want to do is make sure you have containment, but make sure these people are able to get the treatment they need.
And we were able to make a revision in that, where people would use technology today to be able to talk to a doctor, not going out and affecting everybody else around them, and make a real difference to this.
BARTIROMO: So, are you going to be able to clear the decks in terms of a vaccine?
I mean, the bureaucratic process in terms of getting drug passed through the FDA, is there anything you can do differently in terms of hurrying up to get a vaccine, sooner, rather than later? I know that there are therapies that we're waiting on as well within the next couple of months.
MCCARTHY: Yes, we're working on this now.
And I just had a number of companies in. And, remember, they were with the president this week as well, when he also went to NIH and CDC.
This is where the ingenuity of America can solve the problem, just like Ebola. We have a vaccine for that now. You have Gilead already into trials in China and in America on the best way for treatment.
You have Johnson & Johnson and other companies right now working on a vaccine.
The real challenge here is that China wasn't forthcoming, wasn't allowing our scientists or our doctors in, when President Trump requesting it early on, in December of last year.
And that's why we weren't getting all the information, that you had a CDC kit testing not go out right, because we weren't getting the right information.
Now that we have it, we know, every single day, we're learning something more about this. And America will solve this problem, not just for America, but for the rest of the world.
BARTIROMO: What does this mean for Xi Jinping?
I mean, first, he had the Hong Kong protesters. Now he's got this. He had swine flu. He's dictator for life. He's got lots of plans for 2030. Is this enough to knock him off his perch?
MCCARTHY: I don't know if it's enough to knock him off his perch, but you know his standing has had -- had to have fallen, along with his country.
To deny our doctors to be in there is now affecting the rest of the world. The other thing, his own economy. I know it's a closed economy. So, how much will people actually know in society?
But there are millions of people who are out of work being told to stay home. And now every country is going to look at their supply chain. And we, as America, should, just as President Trump has asked us to before.
Our key ingredients to our own medicines, our critical minerals to so many things we make, we're reliant upon China. And we do not want to have that happen, when you saw a problem just now, and they weren't forthcoming, they weren't open about it, where we could have contained this inside China.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
All right, let me move on to the economy here and the 2020 election.
Obviously, you're trying to take back the House, the GOP is. You had great numbers on jobs in February, 273,000 jobs created in the month of February. You still see an economy that is strong.
But there are wide and deep expectations that things are going to slow down in a big way. Are you going to come up with another stimulus package, a tax cut plan? How are you going to deal with an economy that is sure to slow as a result of everything you just said in terms of manufacturing in China?
MCCARTHY: Well, remember what we're starting from, the strongest economy we had in more than 50 years, thanks to this administration and the Republicans were able to do on tax reform.
Now, because of this disease, I think you will see that we're looking at things surgically, areas and industries that may need help. And that may be in a situation where you relieve some regulations or tax.
But it's something that we're studying now, because you're correct, Maria. We're coming off more than 270,000 jobs, when they thought there would be 100,000. You look anywhere else in the world, they are jealous of what America has been able to create. And we want to continue to maintain it.
The challenge that we have is, the Democrats are in power. Will they do something to help the economy grow? Or are they caring more about politics to try to harm this president? And we have watched time and time again they always pick politics.
That's why I always say, if you want to change the House, you have to go to TaketheHouse.com to make a fundamental difference here. But this is not a place that there should be politics.
BARTIROMO: Yes. So, you...
MCCARTHY: And we should put people before politics.
BARTIROMO: You just heard from Governor Cuomo. He said President Trump is afraid of Joe Biden, bottom line. That's what the governor just told us a few minutes ago.
You called it on this program. You said that the Democrats are clearing the decks for Biden and they're colluding against Bernie again. They are all getting behind Joe Biden right now.
What are your prospects going into 2020 election?
MCCARTHY: Remember what they did to Bernie Sanders four years ago.
The night before the convention, the chair of the Democratic Party had to resign because they found out they were cheating. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, held the papers and not -- impeachment not to go to the Senate, so the senators couldn't campaign to give an advantage to Joe Biden.
They got Klobuchar to back out and Buttigieg to endorse beforehand. But the one thing they have to understand, and looking back, as a Republican, nominating Joe Biden, it's the same thing as Republicans nominating Mitt -- Mitt Romney.
It may make the establishment feel good, but you have no chance of winning.
BARTIROMO: Wow.
Well, what -- Mitt Romney's already -- he almost stopped any investigation into Biden, into Hunter Biden, right? I mean, he's going to be the vote that goes against President Trump. He's made that clear.
MCCARTHY: Yes, but this should not be about politics.
Any elected official that uses their office or has their children who uses their office to get economic gain, where you're getting $50,000 a month -- how many Americans don't make that in a year? And you have no experience whatsoever.
And the only reason you have that job is because of your father? And your father withholds money to a country to change the investigation of the people that hired you? The Democrats should be the first person investigating this.
All they have done with their majority is investigate. But the only place they wouldn't investigate is Joe Biden, because they care about politics, instead of the rule of law.
BARTIROMO: Well, we have been waiting on Lindsey Graham to call somebody down to subpoena Hunter Biden, subpoena somebody around this, sure.
We haven't seen it yet. Are you going to -- is this going to be investigated or not?
MCCARTHY: Well, you got Senator Johnson out there asking for a subpoena, and rightfully so.
And this shouldn't be about politics. This should be about the rule of law. And that's exactly the way it should be carried out. I would like to see Democrats care about this too and vote for this as well.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
Congressman, real quick, before you go, any reaction to what Senator Schumer said in trying to attack a Supreme Court justice?
And then, in explaining it, he said, hey, I'm from Brooklyn.
By the way, I'm from Brooklyn. I have a problem with that. Is he saying that people from Brooklyn threaten Supreme Court justices?
MCCARTHY: He is saying more than that. He is the leader of the Senate. He is the leader of the Democrats.
He's standing before the Supreme Court trying to influence the outcome. In America, we believe -- we encourage the exchange of ideas, not to the idea that you're going to intimidate.
Remember, they dislike President Trump from winning -- for winning, so they impeached him. They see college campuses, so they go after and try to intimidate them. Then we watched what Senator Schumer was doing?
BARTIROMO: Yes.
MCCARTHY: The intimidation there?
If I was a Democrat in the Senate, I would have changed my leadership, if this was what was happening.
BARTIROMO: Well, and I would also keep Brooklyn out of it. Brooklyn rocks.
(LAUGHTER)
BARTIROMO: Congressman, it's good to see you this morning. Thank you, sir.
MCCARTHY: Thank you.
BARTIROMO: Kevin McCarthy joining us.
Up next, coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Ben Carson is here to talk about how the Trump administration is handling this virus, as we look ahead on "Sunday Morning Futures."
Back in a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BARTIROMO: Welcome back.
We turn our attention back to the coronavirus.
As we mentioned earlier, there are more than 400 confirmed cases in at least 25 states here in the United States, 19 of those resulting in deaths.
Joining me right now is Dr. Ben Carson. He's a member of the Coronavirus Task Force. He's the secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Dr. Carson, it's good to see you this morning. Thanks very much for joining us.
BEN CARSON, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY: Good to be with you, Maria.
BARTIROMO: There was a hospital which actually leaked information, and they are expecting millions of hospitalizations as this outbreak unfolds.
How severe will this become, sir?
CARSON: Well, it certainly has the potential to be severe.
And that's one of the reasons that the task force meets every day. We're in communication with a lot of experts around the country in terms of the best ways to contain this.
Obviously, if -- if we don't use best practices to contain the spread, then we will have a horrendous situation. But we're very cognizant of that. We meet on a daily basis. We evaluate the information. And we make recommendations based on the evidence.
BARTIROMO: What can we do, if anything, to stop what seems to be coming our way in a big way?
I mean, this hospital leak is revealing that they're preparing for millions of hospitalizations. In this presentation, which was titled "What Health Care Leaders Need to Know," it expects 4.8 million hospitalizations associated with coronavirus, 96 million cases overall, and 480,000 deaths.
Does that sound right to you?
CARSON: Is that possible? Absolutely. Is it likely? Probably not.
But we obviously are going to do everything we can to make sure that we minimize the damage that's done here. And that includes a little bit of common sense and utilizing information that we know already.
We know, for instance, that people who are elderly and who have underlying problems that affect their immune system are much more vulnerable than others.
But we also know that the virus can be passed on by people who have little in the way of symptomatology, in some cases no symptomatology at all. We need to use that information appropriately.
If you go to a place where there's a lot of people, and you have a compromised immune system, maybe you need to rethink that. You certainly should rethink getting on a cruise ship. You should think about taking an airplane trip a long distance, particularly if you're compromised in some way.
BARTIROMO: If you leave the country and go on a trip, do you need to get tested when you come back into America?
CARSON: I think it kind of depends on where you have been.
Obviously, if you have been to Northern Italy, someplace like that...
BARTIROMO: I see. I see.
CARSON: ... you really want to think about that seriously.
And people need to learn how to be responsible, self-quarantine yourself, if you know that you have been to one of the dangerous areas. You don't want to spread that. Self-quarantine yourself. Contact your medical professionals. They will tell you what the next steps are.
BARTIROMO: What else do you want to see in terms of what we have learned from this cruise line situation, these cruises that have been docked off of the coast of the -- of the country because of the worry that those people are sick?
You mentioned to me when we were on the phone about the ventilation and the vents inside those cruise ships.
CARSON: Yes.
BARTIROMO: What changes might we see in terms of the infrastructure in America as a result of this? Tell us what you have learned.
CARSON: Well, you know, a lot of times, it takes a desperate situation to make us do what we already have the technology to do.
In many hospitals already and health care settings, they have isolation of their ventilation system, so that you're not transmitting things through the ventilation system. We have HEPA filters and things that can filter out very small particles.
We need to start utilizing those in cruise ships. We need to utilize them on airplanes. We need to utilize them in lots of different settings. We can't do that right now.
But, when this is all over, let's learn from the situation to make sure that we're not in a similar situation later on.
BARTIROMO: What are you doing, the government, in terms of keeping Americans safe with the drugs that they need?
The FDA is concerned, in fact, that it's developed a list of 150 prescription drugs that we may very well not be able to get our hands on going forward because the active ingredients are made in China.
Health care workers, keeping them safe. And then there's also the protective equipment, like the masks, the gloves, the biologic suits, et cetera.
Are we limited on those things because many of them are made in China?
CARSON: Right now, the masks are a bit of a problem. The manufacturers are ramping up very considerably.
There are a few obstacles that are in the way, which we're working on now to remove those. The other types of protective gear, we seem to have plenty of them.
But we're making sure that the supply chain is adequate. Things that are coming from China and other places like that, we are looking for alternatives, if we can't get enough of those things.
But, again, that's something we should be thinking about. In terms of critical supply chains, let's make sure that we're not depending on others. It's the same thing for oil. We used to be so dependent on Iran. It affected the way that we reacted to things that were going on in the Middle East. That's not the case anymore.
The same will apply with the supply chain items. And we have a lot of very creative and innovative people in this country. So, we need to rely on them to provide the materials that we need.
BARTIROMO: Dr. Carson, it's good to see you this morning. Thanks so much for being here.
CARSON: You too. Thank you, Maria.
BARTIROMO: We appreciate it, Dr. Ben Carson joining us.
The president says he is giving the Presidential Medal of Freedom to a member of the FOX News family. It is the highest civilian honor anybody can get.
General Jack Keane is with me next, as we look ahead on "Sunday Morning Futures."
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BARTIROMO: Welcome back.
President Trump announcing that he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to my next guest. This is the nation's highest civilian honor. And he will receive this, this upcoming week.
Fox News senior strategic analyst and retired Four-Star General Jack Keane joins me right now.
And, General, I could not be happier for you. Congratulations. It could not be more well-deserved.
Good to see you this morning, General.
JACK KEANE, FOX NEWS SENIOR STRATEGIC ANALYST: No, good to see you, Maria. Thank you.
BARTIROMO: Tell me how this makes you feel to get such an honor from the president. And this will happen in this upcoming week, sir?
KEANE: Yes, on Tuesday, Tuesday afternoon.
I was absolutely shocked and stunned when the president called several months ago. I mean, it really is quite overwhelming, really, to tell you the truth. It's not something anyone would aspire to.
And, I mean, you just cannot help but reflect, and almost immediately when you're told you're receiving an honor like this, about the love and support that I have had all my life from family and friends.
And I lived the life in the military among heroes. And they have given me the inspiration when I was serving and the inspiration to this day, in terms of the sacrifices that they're willing to make.
Yes, it's a very humbling thing, to be sure. And I also recognize fully that so many people that I have associated with in my life, to be quite honest about, deserve this award more than I do.
BARTIROMO: Oh.
KEANE: And that will keep me grounded, for sure.
BARTIROMO: The president says that this is awarded to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interest of the United States, to world peace or to cultural or other significant public and private endeavors.
And you have certainly done that your entire life dedicated to our great country.
Let me ask you what you're doing now in terms of helping to protect our soldiers. The military response to coronavirus is also worth discussing and the risk to our soldiers abroad as they're on the front lines of all of this once again.
KEANE: Yes, there's no doubt about it, because they're deployed all around the world. And they're actually deployed in some of the places where it's actually an epicenter for the disease, particularly in South Korea, Japan, and Italy.
We have thousands of troops deployed in those areas. But here's the good news. Maria, this is a very healthy population. It's largely young and in good health. So, I think, even if they contract it, I think they will get through it, as we have seen so many other people.
The overwhelming majority of everybody who gets the disease survives it. And I think our soldiers will be the embodiment of that.
And I know they're -- the entire chain of command is focused on it. And they will have safeguards and protections for them. But our troops are going to stay deployed in the national interests of the American people and keep doing their job and their duty.
BARTIROMO: All right, real quick, a couple of seconds left.
You gave testimony last week before the Senate Armed Services on the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, peace deal with the Taliban, and then strikes two days later. What's happening? Real quick.
KEANE: Well, this is largely over prisoners.
The Taliban wanted prisoners back before negotiations begin. That's somewhat unprecedented. Normally, it's after hostilities are ended and there's a peace deal.
President Ghani of Afghanistan wouldn't like to give 5,000 prisoners back until he sees actually something's going to happen here.
BARTIROMO: Right.
KEANE: That's what produced the violence.
And the fact that the Taliban chose violence...
BARTIROMO: Yes.
KEANE: ... as opposed to negotiations, with that issue says a lot about what their intentions are.
BARTIROMO: It sure does.
General, it's good to see you this morning. Thank you, sir.
KEANE: Yes, good talking to you, Maria.
BARTIROMO: Have a great day, everybody. I will see you tomorrow.
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