Exclusive: New York taps McKinsey to develop 'Trump-proof' economic reopening plan

By Jarrett Renshaw

 

FILE PHOTO: New York governor Andrew Cuomo speaks in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., March 30, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo

 

(Reuters) - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has hired high-powered consultants to develop a science-based plan for the safe economic reopening of the region that can thwart expected pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to move more rapidly, state government sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

 

Cuomo, along with many other U.S. governors, shut his state economy to limit the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus and has warned that he is are prepared to keep businesses shut – perhaps for several months more – unless he can assure public safety.

 

Governors from seven East Coast states formed a coalition on Monday, led by New York, to develop a joint reopening plan. Three governors from the West Coast formed a similar plan. The 10 states, mostly led by Democrats, together make up 38% of the U.S. economy.

 

As part of Cuomo's effort, McKinsey & Company is producing models on testing, infections and other key data points that will underpin decisions on how and when to reopen the region's economy, the sources said. Cuomo has also recalled former top aides Bill Mulrow, Larry Schwartz and Steve Cohen to join the effort.

 

Deloitte is also involved in developing the regional plan, a source said.

 

The goal is to "Trump-proof" the plan, said an adviser to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.

 

"We think Trump ultimately will blink on this, but if not, we need to push back, and we are reaching out to top experts and other professionals to come up with a bullet-proof plan," to open on the state's terms, said a Cuomo adviser.

 

Trump, whose reelection bid was built on a strong economy before it was derailed by the epidemic, is losing patience with the economic blackout and has challenged governors who are preaching caution, setting the stage for larger clashes over the pace of the reopening.

 

Trump said in late March he hoped to reopen the economy by Easter in mid-April, but the mounting toll of infections and projected deaths forced him to extend federal guidelines for 30 days to the end of April.

 

More than 30,000 people have died in the United States from the epidemic. (Graphic: tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T)

 

McKinsey is providing analysis on testing availability and demand across the state, supply chain for critical supplies, hospital capacity and virus projections, a company official said.

 

"McKinsey, like so many other businesses, is committed to supporting the response to the crisis," a company spokesman said.

 

The Trump administration has recently recommended a staggered reopening of the economy, starting with states with less infections and giving more time to those with severe problems, like New York and New Jersey.

 

Experts and governors have said there would need to be guarantees of ramped-up coronavirus testing before people return to work safely.

 

(Editing by Heather Timmons and Cynthia Osterman)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-04-16

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17 minutes ago, webfact said:

The goal is to "Trump-proof" the plan

Are they suggesting that Trump is fallible? I thought even God checked in with Donald before making decisions.

20 minutes ago, webfact said:

The 10 states, mostly led by Democrats, together make up 38% of the U.S. economy.

 

20 minutes ago, webfact said:

The goal is to "Trump-proof" the plan, said an adviser to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.

 

Partisan sniping, as always. Never ends. 

 

If 38% of the economy wants to be responsible for the next great depression and the second wave of bodies then so be it, but anyone moving forward who wants to blame trump needs to give it a rest. 

 

This is all assuming they can actually control the population they reign over, which I do not believe is possible. 

Haha, an army of incredibly smart people equipped with a network of the best experts in every field, and then you have the Chaos Family with its illiterate doofus on top. The good thing is, he can always claim it was all his ideas, despite not even understanding half of the vocabulary they’re using. 

1 hour ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

Haha, an army of incredibly smart people equipped with a network of the best experts in every field, and then you have the Chaos Family with its illiterate doofus on top. The good thing is, he can always claim it was all his ideas, despite not even understanding half of the vocabulary they’re using. 

 

134,000 global deaths and counting, 2,000,000 infected globally and growing exponentially. 

 

But but but Trump, says the partisans. 

It calms me to see a man the caliber of Cumo in the hardest hit state taking responsibility dealing with the pandemic with trump juggling all that and still giving that sense of command and leadership kudos sir to you your state and your plan although I’m not sure it’s possible to trump proof anything lol good luck sir and thank you for beeing an example of calm smart and outstanding leadership 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

As part of Cuomo's effort, McKinsey & Company is producing models on testing, infections and other key data points that will underpin decisions on how and when to reopen the region's economy, the sources said.

Sounds like a reasonable and measured approach to getting back to normality.

1 hour ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

134,000 global deaths and counting, 2,000,000 infected globally and growing exponentially. 

 

But but but Trump, says the partisans. 

Because of a pandemic I cannot have a good laugh at that stammering failure? 
 

 

 

 

Edited April 16, 20206 yr by welovesundaysatspace

Those democrat governors are costing major US corporations billions if they keep this up. Don't be surprised that some of them are looking for new homes at states who have adult leadership. 

3 hours ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

Are they suggesting that Trump is fallible? I thought even God checked in with Donald before making decisions.

 

McKinsey is a reprehensible organization. You can be sure one study or another of theirs led to layoffs and underfunding. Their specialty is "efficiencies" that lead to "shareholder value".

Having been a victim of the McKinsey Company at US Steel I find this very interesting. When their experts decide the Governor is too expensive and the bureaucrats and staff have to go, what will they do? This is truly hilarious!

 

55 minutes ago, lannarebirth said:

 

McKinsey is a reprehensible organization. You can be sure one study or another of theirs led to layoffs and underfunding. Their specialty is "efficiencies" that lead to "shareholder value".

Got to agree it's risky to take on board McKinsey, they have had both good and bad outcomes with their engagements. On the other hand McKinsey can be a good whipping boy for politicians. 

I had the misfortune to work on a number of projects with McKinsey over the years. I am afraid I could not recommend them to advise a lemonade stand. The problem with all consultants is that they have no interest in the outcomes or feasibility of their recommendations.

https://dailycaller.com/2020/04/14/nyc-numbers-coronavirus-death-toll/

NYC Adds Nearly 4,000 People Who Never Tested Positive To Coronavirus Death Tolls

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/14/nyregion/new-york-coronavirus-deaths.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur

N.Y.C. Death Toll Soars Past 10,000 in Revised Virus Count

Quote

New York City, already a world epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, sharply increased its death toll by more than 3,700 victims on Tuesday, after officials said they were now including people who had never tested positive for the virus but were presumed to have died of it.

The new figures, released by the city’s Health Department, drove up the number of people killed in New York City to more than 10,000, and appeared to increase the overall United States death count by 17 percent to more than 26,000.

No matter where you look the figures we get are figures I would not bet the farm on.

3 hours ago, Tug said:

It calms me to see a man the caliber of Cumo in the hardest hit state taking responsibility dealing with the pandemic with trump juggling all that and still giving that sense of command and leadership kudos sir to you your state and your plan although I’m not sure it’s possible to trump proof anything lol good luck sir and thank you for beeing an example of calm smart and outstanding leadership 

Yes absolutely, even for non-US viewers from all over the world, facts, lucidity and perseverance in his daily briefings is all we need.

For we all are - with few exceptions- on the same boat. 

25 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

I had the misfortune to work on a number of projects with McKinsey over the years. I am afraid I could not recommend them to advise a lemonade stand. The problem with all consultants is that they have no interest in the outcomes or feasibility of their recommendations.

yeah, but their power point decks will be awesome....

 

555

The only reason to EVER hire McKinsey is to have someone to throw blame for your stupid decisions. You steer them in the direction you want to go and they will draw a whole bunch of nice maps and charts for you to get there with lots of nonsensical data to back it up. That's all Cuomo is doing here.

Trump called their bluff and let the governors make the decision to reopen and now they want someone to blame if things go bad. 

6 hours ago, Tug said:

It calms me to see a man the caliber of Cumo in the hardest hit state taking responsibility dealing with the pandemic with trump juggling all that and still giving that sense of command and leadership kudos sir to you your state and your plan although I’m not sure it’s possible to trump proof anything lol good luck sir and thank you for beeing an example of calm smart and outstanding leadership 

Cuomo has made a real mess of handling the corona crisis.

4 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Cuomo has made a real mess of handling the corona crisis.

Facts to back up your claim?

If these ten states want to go it alone, have their own separate plan, then good for them. BUT if they screw it up don't go hat in hand to Washington DC begging for bailouts.

Trump is slippery consummate 'game player and in actuality an habitual liar (look up the Oxford expansed dictionary definition of 'liar' and you'll see my point). Cuomo, so far looks like more than a match for Donald.

The damage that Trump single handedly has done to the US nation (in my poor illiterate eyes, as an an 'outsider' although as one who worked and lived there at one stage [God I loved Americans and their amazing capacities].

Now, I have little time for Yanks or their Nation. I'm heartily sick of the US national hollywood styled and concocted narrative of coming out guns blazing and obliterating peoples and nations (d...heads like Asad, and Putin too), with such jingoistic zeal all the while shouting about freedom and democracy ... BS !   

A laughing stock of an administration, a laughing stock of a coherent alternative political narrative. An obsessional history and neurotic need to attack with extreme political, economic, and physical violence anyone that even looks like being different to the shiny white hatted Marlboro Man atop his trusty national steed.  

I hope that the smart American people can see through Trump, and understand

that he is just trying to keep his job. Trump does not really care about others,

only his own skin. It is so unfortunate that he can do not wrong in the eyes of

his followers.  Good luck America, you certainly need it.

Geezer