Last week, United States President Donald Trump signed into law an $8.3 billion funding package for the individual treatment and prevention of COVID-19. The package, Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020, was more than three times the amount initially requested by the Trump administration in late February.
Here's a quick rundown of where some of the money is going:
- $3.1 billion to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and specifically to the office of the secretary of the HHS
- $950 million to state and local health departments
- $300 million to fund vaccines and treatments
- $1.25 billion for international coronavirus response and aid
- $2 billion to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for funding, preparedness and response
What the package does not specifically address are the potential short- and long-term indirect effects of the coronavirus, such as funding to bolster supply chain costs or reimbursement to hospitals and clinics for caring for patients without health insurance.
Trump's administration and the Senate GOP leaders met Tuesday to discuss a stimulus package in light of the global financial crisis surrounding the coronavirus. Media outlets reported no specific outcomes from the meeting.
