Biden says he would mobilize the military to address coronavirus

Former Vice President Joe Biden said Sunday he would mobilize the military to respond to the coronavirus outbreak, calling it a “national emergency” that requires the U.S. to react as if it is a time of war.

“I would call out the military now,” Biden said at the Democratic presidential debate in Washington, D.C. “They have the ability to provide this surge that hospitals need. … They have the capacity to build 500 hospital beds and tents that are completely safe and secure. It’s a national emergency, and I would call out the military.”

“We’re at war with the virus,” Biden added.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he would mobilize the National Guard, as New York has done, to address the health crisis.

“We use all of the tools that make sense,” Sanders said. “And using the National Guard … that has to be done.”

“I would call out the military. Now. They have the capacity to provide this surge help that hospitals need and that is needed across the nation,” Joe Biden says about the response to coronavirus during the #DemDebate. https://t.co/g9KT0SMhng pic.twitter.com/my7qgddLpU

— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) March 16, 2020