U.S. federal government response to the COVID-19 pandemic

The federal government of the United States initially responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country with various declarations of emergency, some of which led to travel and entry restrictions and the formation of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. As the pandemic progressed in the U.S. and globally, the U.S. government began issuing recommendations regarding the response by state and local governments, as well as social distancing measures and workplace hazard controls. State governments played a primary role in adopting policies to address the pandemic.[1] Following the closure of most businesses throughout a number of U.S. states, President Donald Trump announced the mobilization of the National Guard in the most affected areas.

During 2020 and 2021, the U.S. Congress passed major stimulus packages as part of an aggressive effort to fight both the pandemic and its economic impact. Three major bills were passed: the CARES Act, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Other proposed acts of legislation to provide economic relief were made within both the House of Representatives and the Senate, with influence from the White House. In addition, other federal policy changes were made by a number of departments—some at the direction of President Trump, as well as his successor Joe Biden.

The Trump administration's communication regarding the pandemic generated negative responses. Trump was initially described as optimistic about the country's response to the pandemic and the threat level the coronavirus disease 2019 presented the public. As the pandemic's severity escalated in the U.S., Trump repeatedly made false or misleading statements. In contrast, officials within the Trump administration made numerous statements in support of physical distancing measures and business closures.

The federal government managed the development of several vaccines for the virus through Operation Warp Speed in 2020. Distribution of the vaccines was overseen by the Biden administration during 2021, during which time many pandemic measures were ended. The national emergency related to the pandemic was ended by a bipartisan resolution from Congress in April 2023.

  1. ^ Adeel, Abdul Basit; Catalano, Michael; Catalano, Olivia; Gibson, Grant; Muftuoglu, Ezgi; Riggs, Tara; Sezgin, Mehmet Halit; Shvetsova, Olga; Tahir, Naveed; VanDusky-Allen, Julie; Zhao, Tianyi (July 25, 2020). "COVID-19 Policy Response and the Rise of the Sub-National Governments". Canadian Public Policy. 46 (4): 565–584. doi:10.3138/cpp.2020-101. ISSN 0317-0861. PMC 9400820. PMID 36039151. S2CID 225377653.