According to public health experts and former HHS officials, the $2.5 billion budget request is not enough to adequately handle the global health emergency
Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images On Monday night, after a weekend of new international outbreaks of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus and growing concerns over a potential pandemic, the Trump administration sent Congress a $2.5 billion supplemental request for funding to fight the spread of the virus and for vaccine development research.
According to the Washington Post, as part of the request, the administration plans to mobilize $535 million set aside for the 2014 Ebola outbreak, in addition to a $1.25 billion lump sum for the Department of Health and Human Services. Of that new money, Politico reports that $1 billion would be allocated to vaccine development research; the remainder would be reserved for response items including lab tests, quarantine costs, and support for states dealing with significant numbers of cases.
“The Trump Administration continues to take the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease very seriously,” said Rachel Semmel, a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget, in a statement. But according to public health experts and former Health and Human Services officials, the $2.5 billion budget request is not enough to adequately handle the global health emergency. Former Trump administration HHS deputy assistant secretary Chris Meekins has suggested that $15 billion would be more appropriate, with $3 billion required for vaccine development. Adriane Casalotti, an official at the National Association of County and City Health Officials, called for Trump to allocate $3.
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