Text of the Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 22, 2020 April 22, 2020   Dear Madam Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:) In Proclamation 9994 of March 13, 2020 (Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak), I exercised my authority to declare that the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the United States constitutes a national emergency.  To provide additional authority to the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to respond to this national emergency, and in accordance with section 301 of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1631), I have issued an Executive Order invoking section 1318(a) of title 19, United States Code, to allow the Secretary to exercise the authority under that section to extend during the continuance of such emergency the time prescribed therein for the performance of any act.  The Executive Order directs the Secretary to consider taking appropriate action under that section to temporarily extend deadlines, for importers suffering significant financial hardship because of COVID-19, for the estimated payments described therein, other than those assessed pursuant to sections 1671, 1673, 1862, 2251, and 2411 of title 19, United States Code. I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued.                             Sincerely,                               DONALD J. TRUMP