The U.S. response to COVID-19 has garnered heavy criticism, ranging from the lack of preparedness to contradictory statements made by government officials.

The coronavirus has killed over 4,000 people across over 100 countries, infected more than 120,000 more, and ravaged global markets. In response, paid sick leave has been suggested as a way to ease the burden on some of America’s workforce. However, this would need to be passed through Congress.

And the likelihood of Congress agreeing on legislation regarding coronavirus is “not high,” according to Austan Goolsbee, former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Obama administration.

“In the spirit of anything that slows the spread of the virus is the best stimulus, paid sick leave is one of the best forms of stimulus,” Goolsbee said on Yahoo Finance’s On the Move. “That Congress cannot even agree on that, and you’ve got people saying: ‘Wait a second, we should have to cut other things in order to that,’ I’m flabbergasted. But at this moment of total crisis, both the president and Congress are utterly failing in their responsibilities.”

View photos Over 4,000 people have died around the world from coronavirus. (Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance) More

On Wednesday, Senate Democrats tried to pass emergency legislation that would require employers to provide their employees with 14 days of paid sick leave during a public health emergency amid the ongoing spread of coronavirus. However, it was stalled after Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) opposed it on the grounds that businesses would be required to pay for the leave, not the federal government.

Meanwhile, Trump has proposed suspending all Social Security and Medicare taxes throughout the end of the year. Democrats have indicated they would not support the cut.

“Things as simple as ‘Should we have paid sick leave for everyone temporarily?’ — to me, it’s obvious that we should because before there ever was a coronavirus, when we were just looking at flu infections, paid sick leave is one of the most effective ways to keep sick people from going to the workplace and infecting everyone else,” Goolsbee said.

‘The only true asset you have is your credibility’

President Trump has directly contradicted public health officials on several occasions. While touring the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, he said: “Anybody that needs a test can have a test.” However, access to coronavirus tests is still extremely limited, an issue that’s borne heavy criticism.

Trump also asserted that the completion of the border “wall” along the U.S.-Mexico border would help protect Americans against coronavirus, despite the fact that the CDC director said a wall would not be effective.

View photos U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, Vice President Mike Pence, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield listen during a news conference. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) More

Goolsbee said that Trump’s statements have undermined the credibility of the U.S., and that “it’s worse than just missing” presidential leadership.

“Paul Volcker was a dear friend,” Goolsbee said. “In the Financial Crisis of 2008, he would always say to me again and again that in a crisis, the only true asset you have is your credibility. And that is true for this every bit as much as a financial crisis.”