TRUMP BLOCKING FUNDS FOR TESTING, TRACING OF COVID VICTIMS

The Trump administration has objected to the inclusion of billions of dollars for coronavirus testing and tracing across the country in an opening draft proposal from Senate Republicans for the next coronavirus relief package, further complicating efforts to reach an agreement on the legislation, Reuters and Associated Press (AP) reported on July 19, 2020.

The draft suggested allocating $25 billion to states for testing and contact tracing, as well as almost $10 billion to shore up the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and $15 billion to bolster the National Institutes of Health, according to a person familiar with the tentative plans, who cautioned that the final dollar figures remained in flux.

The administration has instead pushed to eliminate all of those funds and has also called for cutting billions of dollars set aside for the Pentagon and the State Department to help counter the outbreak and potentially distribute a vaccine at home and abroad.

The suggestions from the administration, according to two people familiar with the proposals, included funding priorities unrelated to the spread of the coronavirus, including the contentious effort to construct a new building for the FBI. The people asked for anonymity to disclose private details of the talks, which were first reported by The Washington Post.