I spoke at length with mitch mcconnell, and there is tremendous spirit to get something done, so we will see what happens, but my conversation was very good with senator schumer. I thank you all for joining us, and i would like to begin by providing an update on what we are doing to minimize the impact of the virus on our nations students. With many schools closed due to the virus, the department of education will not enforce standardized testing requirements for students in elementary through high school or the current year. They have been through a lot. They have been going back and forth. School is open. School is not open. It has been all standardized testing, you know, its we are not going to be enforcing that. O i think you can let people know. I think probably a lot of the students will be extremely happy. Some, probably not. The ones that work hard, maybe not, but it is one of those things. Unfortunate. Very unfortunate circumstance. We have also temporarily waived all interest on federally held Student Loans. They will be very happy to hear that, and i have instructed them to take that action immediately. Today, secretary devos has directed federal lenders to allow borrowers to suspend their Student Loans and loan payments without penalty for at least the next 60 days, and if we need more, we will extend that period of time. Borrowers should contact their lenders, but we have given them very strong instructions, we have temporarily waived all interest on federally held Student Loans. And more to come on student we have loans, more good news for students, but we will be doing that at a different time. This morning the Treasury Department announced we are moving tax day from april 15 to july 15. We are moving it out to july 15, so that people will have time, and hopefully by that time we will have people getting back to their lives. Families and businesses will have this extra time to file with no interest or penalties. We are getting rid of interest and penalties. If you have refund or credit you would like to claim, you may still file. You can file early if you are owed money by the irs. Other than that, we are moving at all the way out to july 15. No interest, no penalties. Your new date will be july 15. Today our team will also provide an update on our continuing effort to prevent the transmission of virus across americas borders. And i watched what has been happening in california with Governor Newsom, and this morning with Governor Cuomo, and i applaud them. They are taking very strong, bold steps, and i applaud them. And we are all working very closely together. We are working together, including those two governors, but based on the call, i think we can say that with respect to virtually every governor on that call, i think every governor, we had almost all of them, if not all of them, and i would say that you could see for yourselves that the level of respect and esprit de corps, working together, was extraordinary. There was nobody angry, nobody upset. We are able to help them, and that is what we are all about. We want to help. We are doing things that a lot of people wouldnt be able to do, but the relationship with governors and states is, i think, very extraordinary, especially under the circumstances, where this just came upon us. We are working with canada and mexico to prevent the spread of the virus across north america very closely. You heard what we did yesterday with canada. Secretary of state pompeo will be making a statement in a little while having to do with mexico and the border. And chad, likewise, will be making a statement. This is a joint, comprehensive effort in collaboration with our neighbors. The measure, and all of those measures that we are putting in place, will protect the health of all three nations and reduce the incentive for a mass global migration that would badly deplete the Health Care Resources needed for our people. So we are working very closely with mexico, very, very closely with canada. And the relationship has never been better. We all are working toward the same goal. Our nations Top Health Care officials are extremely concerned about the consequences of mass, uncontrolled, crossborder movement. And that would be even beyond, but mostly during this global pandemic. Every week, our Border Agents encounter thousands of unscreened and unvetted entries from dozens of countries, we have had this problem over decades, for decades. You know the story, but now, with the National Emergencies and all the other things that we have declared, we can actually do something about it. E are taking a very strong hold of that. And we have before, this is now at a level that nobody has ever approached. In normal times, these massive flows place a vast burden on our Health Care System. But during a global pandemic, they threaten to create a perfect storm that would spread the infection to our Border Agents, migrants, and to the public at large. Left unchecked, this would cripple our immigration system, overwhelm our Health Care System, and severely damage our National Security. We are not going to let that happen. So we have a lot of information, and they will be discussing that in a moment. To confront this, the centers for Disease Control has decided to exercise its authority under the title 42 of the u. S. Code to give customs and Border Protection the tools it needs to protect the transmission of the virus, coming through both the northern and the southern borders. So we are treating the borders equally, the northern border and the southern border. They are both being treated equally. A lot of people say they are not treated equally. Well, they are. As we did with canada, we are also working with mexico to implement new rules at our ports of entry to suspend nonessential travel. These new rules and procedures will not impede lawful trade and commerce. Furthermore, mexico has taken action to secure our own southern border and suspend air travel from europe. We are coordinating very closely on the air travel going to mexico and then trying to come into the United States. The actions we are taking together with our north American Partners will save countless lives. At the conclusion of my remarks, secretary azar, secretary pompeo, secretary wolf, we are going to also be taking some questions with tony and deborah, who you have gotten to know very well. But they will be discussing certain things, and i think you will find them of great interest. We are going to be providing tremendous amounts of detail over the coming days, but a lot of it will be provided right now, if you would like to find out about it. There has been a week of resolute action, tremendous action, tremendous relationships have developed with people that frankly did not get along, did not like each other, that are now working together and maybe even in some cases learning about each other and liking each other. That is a nice thing. I invoked the defense production act and last night, we put it into gear. We moved the National ResponseCoordination Center to the highest level of activation. If you take a look at what we did, the level of activation has been increased to a great one, the highest level. We are providing historic support to Small Businesses and to the states. The states need support. Normally they would do this themselves, but because of the magnitude of it, the federal government has gotten very much involved in terms of getting the equipment that they need. So we are helping them. It is a responsibility that they have, but we are helping the states a lot. That is why the governors, i think in every case, have been impressed. We enacted legislation, guaranteeing paid sick leave for workers at no cost to employers. I think it is very important. So they get paid sick leave at no cost to employers. We are accelerating the use of new drug treatments, we are advancing legislation to give direct payments to hardworking families. Throughout our country, americans from all walks of life are rallying together to fight the unseen enemy striking our nation. In times of struggle, we see the true greatness of the american character, and we are seeing that. A lot of people are talking about it. We are in 141 countries, from what they are telling me, some of those countries are really working in a unified manner. And they are working very unified with us, almost i could say a good number of them. Doctors and nurses are working nonstop to heal the sick. Citizens and churches are delivering meals to the needy. Truckers are making the long haul to keep shelves stocked. We have been dealing with the big stores and the big chains. Walmart, they have been fantastic, and others. They have all been fantastic. We made it easier for them to stock, and terms of travel and travel restrictions. We are lifting restrictions so they can get the trucks on time. You were seen very few empty shelves. And yet the amount of volume they are doing is unprecedented, people want to have what they have to have, what they feel they have to have. And they are also buying in slightly smaller quantities, which is good. Because we are not going anywhere. We are going to be here. So i want to thank all those Great Companies for working so well. Americans from every walk of life are coming together, and thanks to the spirit of our people, we will win this war. And we are, we are winning. And we are going to win this war. America will triumph and rise higher. We will be stronger than ever before. And we have learned a lot. We have learned a lot. We have learned a lot about relying on other countries, and i can say that i think in a very good and bad way. Some good things came out of it, and some not so good things came out of it. I would like to move now to invite our team to provide information on the new measures to prevent viral spread at our borders. I will start by asking secretary of state pompeo to speak. He is doing a fantastic job. He has been working hard and he working very long, and he is doing the other, more normal jobs of a great secretary of state. But he got tied into this like everybody else, and he has been doing a fantastic job. Mike, please. Secretary pompeo thank you, mr. President. Before i address the efforts we have been engaged into pushback against the chinese virus, i want to assure the people that the state department, the entire National Security team is staying focused on other diplomatic challenges around the world. Those include reducing risk to america from afghanistan, holding the Iranian Regime accountable, and counterterrorism efforts against isis remain a priority for our team. A numberone priority remains of the protection of the American People. The president and our team are focused on it. I want to think my team that has been working long hours to take care of americans who are stuck in places around the world. I will talk about that in a minute. You have all seen dr. Birx with me. State Department Officials are doing great work, but i want to give a shout out to the team from the state department here and around the world that are working overtime to help us push back against this pandemic. Under the president s leadership this week, we have taken two important steps. As the president announced on wednesday, the u. S. And canada jointly agreed to restrict nonessential traffic across the border. This decision goes into effect tonight at midnight. And the restrictions will be reviewed after 30 days. And they exclude traffic across the border other than for work or commerce. We grateful to have such an outstanding friend to the north committed, as we are, to defeating the virus. I also want to announce today that the u. S. And mexico have agreed to restrict nonessential travel across our shared border. Both our countries know the importance of working together to limit the spread of the virus and to ensure the commerce that supports our economy will keep flowing. The United States is glad to have a friend working sidebyside with us in this fight. Secretary wolf will talk more about the details of how we are working alongside our partner in mexico to keep our southern border safe and secure as well. On another note, yesterday the state department issued a levelfour Global Travel advisory. This means and that all International Travel from u. S. Citizens should be avoided. In countries where commercial departure options remain available, u. S. Citizens who reside in the United States should arrange for immediate return to the United States, unless they are prepared to remain abroad for an extended time. If you choose to travel internationally, your travel plans may be severely disrupted. And finally, i want to talk about the disinformation people are seeing on twitter and around the world, some of it coming from governments, some from individuals. I urge everyone, if you see information, information that somehow suggested that this virus emanated from the United States army, information about lockdowns taking place, every american and indeed people around the world should ensure that where they turn for information is a reliable source, and not a bad actor trying to create information that they know is wrong. This is a tough fight. The American People are tougher. Our diplomatic teams are working around the clock to help them keep safe abroad. And we are showing once again the Global Leadership that america has always delivered, and it is great to see other countries rally behind what President Trump and our team are doing. Thank you. Pres. Trump thank you. We will take questions after this. Chad wolf. Secretary wolf let me thank the president and Vice President for their continued leadership and commitment in protecting the American People during this crisis. Early on, the president again took unprecedented actions to restrict travel from areas affected by the coronavirus. And to date, dhs has its over 200,000 individuals coming back from those countries. It has been an immense undertaking, but one that the men and women of accomplished. Dhs have successfully todays announcement is another example of the extraordinary steps the administration is take to ensure the safety of the American Public. Before i look at the order, let me address the progress weve made with ou canadian and mexican partners regarding crossborder travel. As we continue to evaluate commonsense measures that reduce risk and prevent further spread, it only makes sense that we looked at the measures that our neighbors are undertaking. We have been working closely with those partners since the earliest days of the virus and outbreak, and again as the president said earlier this week, and secretary pompeo, we reached an agreement with canada and mexico to limit nonessential travel across our land borders. Let me be clear that neither of these agreements with canada or mexico applies to lawful trade or commerce. Essential commercial activities will not be impacted. We will continue to maintain a strong and secure economic supply chain across our borders. A few examples of essential travel include, but are not limited to, individuals traveling for medical purposes, to attend educational institutions, emergency response, Public Health services, and individuals involved in legitimate crossborder trade. As the secretary said, the agreements with canada and mexico will go into effect on saturday, march 21. We are also working with canada in mexico to take decisive joint action regarding individuals seeking entry between our ports of entry. The cdc order directs the department to suspend the introduction of all individuals seeking to enter the u. S. Without proper travel documentation. That is for both the northern and southern border. The cdc director has determined the introduction and spread of the coronavirus and the departments Border Patrol stations and detention facilities presents a serious danger to migrants, our frontline agents and officers, and the American People. So it is important to note that the department currently apprehends foreign nationals from over 120 countries around the world, the vast majority of those having coronavirus cases. Many of these individuals arrive with little or no identity, travel, or medical documentation, making Public Health risk determinations all but impossible. It is also important to note that the outbreak on our southern border will likely increase the strain on Health Systems in our border communities, taking away lifesaving resources from american citizens. Tonight at midnight, we will execute the cdc order by immediately returning individuals arriving without documentation to canada, mexico, as well as a number of other countries, without delay. So again, cbp is positioned to execute these measures as we continue to keep our borders secure and safe. Before i conclude, let me wrap up by thanking the brave men and women of dhs, specifically cbp, across the government for the work they do every day to keep the American People safe from the coronavirus. The department has a number of frontline officers that have tested positive, as well as others who are selfquarantining, and i am doing everything i can to protect these patriots as they continue to defend our homeland during this crisis. Thank you. President trump thank you very much. Thank you. Todays announcement is the latest in a long line of bold, decisive actions the