President Trump's Plan to Reopen the Economy Rests with States

After initially saying that he had total authority on how and when to reopen the economy, Trump handed the responsibility to the 50 governors to make their own decisions and offered guidance in the form of a three-phase plan that relies on testing.

4 minute read

April 20, 2020, 10:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


Helena, Montana

Protestors gathered to call for the end of lockdown orders at the state capitol in Helena, Montana on April 19. | Brandi Lyon Photography / Shutterstock

"On a day when the nation’s death toll from the coronavirus increased by more than 2,000 for a total over 30,000, the president released a set of nonbinding guidelines that envisioned a slow return to work and school over weeks or months," report Peter Baker and 

GYMS can open if they adhere to strict physical distancing and sanitation protocols. BARS should remain closed."

Lack of testing 

"Any effort by states to begin to ease restrictions requires an expanded testing capacity to give people a sense of security, health experts say, and the country is far behind in conducting enough tests to responsibly inform those decisions," according to the Times. 

Vice President Mike Pence asserted on Friday that the United States currently has the testing capacity to allow all states to move to begin the first phase of the White House’s guidelines for reopening their economies.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious disease expert, said that “existing capacity” for testing nationwide can be utilized, but used the future tense when discussing the potential for states to scale back social distancing measures. “We will have, and there will be enough tests to take this country safely through phase one,” Dr. Fauci said.

Contact tracing

"In addition to the guidelines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are expected to soon announce that the agency will hire hundreds of people to perform contact tracing as part of the push to allow the country to go back to work and school, according to a federal official," add Baker and Shear.

Many public health experts have cautioned that hiring several hundred people for the entire country will be nowhere near enough to keep track of the virus as it spreads. Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, a former C.D.C. director, said there were estimates that the country would need to hire as many as 300,000 such workers.

Midwest regionalism

A third geographic collaboration of seven largely midwestern governors has formed to coordinate approaches to reopening their economies. The members are Gov. Mike DeWine (R) of Ohio, Gov. Tony Evers (D) of Wisconsin, Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) of Michigan, Gov. Tim Walz (D) of Minnesota, Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) of Indiana and Gov. Andy Beshear (D) of Kentucky.

Democrats introduce alternative plan

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) introduced the Reopen America Act of 2020 [pdf] on Friday as an alternative to the to “reopen” America after COVID-19 is under control, reports Maryam Shahzad for Montgomery Community Media.

“Look, we need a real plan to reopen America. The president of the United States offered his thoughts on this yesterday, which were basically a set of vague criteria just put out into the ether for the states to consider in terms of reopening,” Raskin said at a virtual town hall meeting with Montgomery County councilmembers

“There is no mention in the President’s ‘gating criteria’ of what the federal role is," Raskin said in a joint press release with Reps. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).

"If there is a federal plan of action, it is still a secret. The criteria do not tell us how the federal government will spearhead dramatic expansion of public testing, mobile testing, contact tracing, temperature checks or other public health measures..."

In an appearance on MSNBC on Saturday morning, Raskin told host Joy Reid that the plan is based on states meeting two prerequisites:

  • Hospitals can meet demand
  • Transmission rate <1: each person who gets disease infects no more than one person, so the slope of curve is downward

Related in Planetizen:

Thursday, April 16, 2020 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Red and white "Wildfire Evacuation Route" sign on signpost.

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions

An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

5 hours ago - The Markup

Protester at Echo Park Lake, Los Angeles holding sign that says "Housing is a human right"

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?

The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

6 hours ago - Shelterforce Magazine

Aerial of rainbow painted crosswalks at large intersection in Castro District, Sna Francisco, California.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts

Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.

7 hours ago - Streetsblog USA

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Home and Land Services Coordinator

Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA