As of Thursday morning, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow was telling Republicans on a conference call that a Stafford Act declaration could come later in the day, and a second White House official confirmed the timeline. But other officials said the move could be days away.

Trump on Thursday said he is still mulling what emergency funding steps he will take. He is also pushing for Congress to pass a stimulus package, but lawmakers are bogged down over the details.

“We have things that I can do,” Trump said in the Oval Office while sitting alongside Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. “We have very strong emergency powers under the Stafford Act. … I have it memorized as to the powers in that act. If we need to do something. I have the right to do a lot of things people don't even know about.”

The president dodged a question about whether he would sign a declaration Thursday, simply saying that he may be working on “more minor things at this point.”

The 1988 Stafford Act is typically associated with more expansive emergency or disaster declarations. Trump could still choose to take such a step, though he has been wary of doing so as aides debate the merits.

Declaring a broader emergency or disaster would bring in the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and tap the agency’s resources to help states with resource issues, such as building shelters and mobile hospitals, or helping with transportation and public safety. Any Stafford Act declaration would unlock FEMA's disaster relief fund, which has a balance of more than $40 billion.

Former senior FEMA officials are already cautioning that the declaration the White House has outlined does not comply with the Stafford Act, saying the law is not designed to free up resources for things like loans and missed paychecks.

Still, any invocation of the Stafford Act would represent another escalation of the Trump administration’s coronavirus response after fighting off weeks of criticism that the president was downplaying the issue and moving too slowly. Trump on Wednesday signaled a shift in tone, giving a solemn Oval Office address declaring he was barring foreign visitors from Europe, which is dealing with its own coronavirus outbreak. Yet Wednesday’s speech created confusion among industry executives and foreign leaders, who weren't given a heads up about the move.

“The overall coordinated federal response seems to be weeks behind the curve,“ said Tim Manning, a former FEMA deputy administrator.

Trump has spent weeks trying to reassure the public and investors about the widening outbreak. Cities and states have started taking drastic measures to curb the virus, barring large gatherings and closing offices, while the stock market in recent days has recorded declines not seen since the 2008 recession. Across the U.S., the coronavirus has now killed more than 35 people and health officials have warned that the situation will worsen.