Emergency funds missing from spending bill

A White House request for emergency funding to support coronavirus and monkeypox response efforts is missing from the recent must-pass spending bill.

 

The White House has been pushing for billions in funding to bolster those efforts as part of a short-term funding bill Congress is aiming to pass this week to avert a government shutdown.

 

Earlier this month, the White House asked Congress for more than $22 billion in funding to address what it described as “critical” needs to fund COVID-19 response efforts, including dollars to procure more vaccines, offer free community testing, bolster research, and more.

 

But the request has drawn considerable pushback, especially in light of Biden’s recent comments declaring the COVID-19 pandemic “over.”

 

“If that’s true, I’m glad. And so why does he want tens of billions of dollars for COVID?” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) told reporters last week, speculating the comments “certainly makes it harder” for more coronavirus funding to be secured.

 

The White House asked for $4.5 billion in funding to fight monkeypox, including $1.6 billion to strengthen vaccine manufacturing and hundreds of millions to help support state and local efforts, as well provide testing.