Sunday shows – Reopening in spotlight after historic job losses

Discussions on the Sunday morning political talk shows turned to reopening efforts in multiple states in the wake of a Labor Department report that a record 20 million Americans lost their jobs in April amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A top Trump administration official warned of “permanent damage” if economies don’t reopen, while others said even more job losses are possible in the coming months.

Read The Hill’s complete coverage below.

Mnuchin warns of ‘permanent economic damage’ if country doesn’t reopen By ZACK BUDRYK    Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday said reopening the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic must be done in a “thoughtful way” but that not lifting lockdown measures could lead to “permanent economic damage.” Read the full story here

White House adviser says unemployment may climb to 20 percent By REBECCA KLAR   “I think just looking at the flow of initial claims, it looks like we’re probably going to get close to 20 percent in the next report,” White House adviser Kevin Hassett said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”  Read the full story here

Kudlow: ‘Very difficult’ unemployment numbers possible in May too By JUSTINE COLEMAN    White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Sunday that the unemployment statistics in May could “also be very difficult” after a record 20 million people lost their jobs in April amid the coronavirus pandemic. Read the full story here

Minneapolis Fed president: ‘The worst is yet to come on the job front’ By JUSTINE COLEMAN    “We may be in an environment of gradual relaxing and then having to clamp back down again around the country as the virus continues to spread,” Neel Kashkari said. “To solve the economy, we must solve the virus. Let’s never lose sight of that fact.” Read the full story here

Ohio governor: ‘The economy’s not going to open no matter what we do unless people have confidence’ By ZACK BUDRYK   Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) on Sunday defended the steps he has taken to reopen parts of his state’s economy, saying safety precautions in place are meant to create consumer confidence. Read the full story here

Kudlow: ‘Informal’ talks underway on next round of coronavirus stimulus By JUSTINE COLEMAN    White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Sunday that “informal” talks are underway on the next round of coronavirus relief but administration officials and lawmakers first want to see what effects the previous stimulus funding bills have. Read the full story here

Mnuchin on further stimulus: ‘We’re willing to spend whatever it takes’ but it needs to be done ‘carefully’ By ZACK BUDRYK    Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday that the White House is willing to do “whatever it takes” to provide economic stimulus, but said the Trump administration wants to wait before providing any further aid to states. Read the full story here

White House economic adviser says it’s ‘premature’ to decide on giving states federal aid By REBECCA KLAR    White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said Sunday it is “premature” for the Trump administration to decide whether to support including additional aid for states and local governments in the next coronavirus relief package. Read the full story here

Illinois governor says state can increase testing capacity without White House help By REBECCA KLAR   “We’re doing it alone, as the White House has left all the states to do. And we have done well spinning up testing. We continue to grow our testing,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Read the full story here

‘We are going to see a growth in cases’ in coming weeks, infectious disease expert says By ZACK BUDRYK   Columbia University infectious diseases expert Jeffrey Shaman predicted Sunday that the U.S. will see a growth in coronavirus cases in coming weeks as some states loosen restrictions. Read the full story here

Public health expert: No ‘clear way’ to separate those most at-risk for virus for quarantines By ZACK BUDRYK   The director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security said Sunday that too many people are in the groups most at-risk for the coronavirus to quarantine them from the rest of the country, as some have demanded. Read the full story here

Regeneron CEO: US manufacturing for coronavirus treatments, vaccines is ‘limited’ By REBECCA KLAR   The CEO of Regeneron, a pharmaceutical company developing a coronavirus treatment, said the U.S. has limited capacity to manufacture potential COVID-19 treatments or vaccines.  Read the full story here

Johnson & Johnson officer says goal is to deliver 1 billion vaccines next year By JUSTINE COLEMAN   A Johnson & Johnson executive said Sunday that the company’s goal is to deliver 1 billion doses of coronavirus vaccine next year.  Read the full story here

Atlanta mayor on Ahmaud Arbery shooting: White House rhetoric gives ‘permission’ to those ‘prone to being racist’ By REBECCA KLAR   “The rhetoric that we hear coming out of the White House in many ways, I think many who are prone to being racist are given permission to do it in an overt way in a way we wouldn’t [otherwise] see in 2020,” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) said. Read the full story here