The Trump administration is seeking to phase out funding for coronavirus testing and contact tracing, as well as funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health in an upcoming Coronavirus Relief Package from the Party. Republican, according to two sources familiar with the ongoing negotiations. between the Republican White House and Senate.
The Washington Post first reported these negotiations, which two officials say are not going well with Republicans.
Senate Republicans propose about $ 25 billion in grants to states for testing and contact tracing, as well as about $ 10 billion for CDC and $ 15 billion for NIH, the sources said.
A senior White House official told ABC News: “The president is fully committed to a robust aid package that addresses real needs,” and said “there have really been no negotiations to date.”
The official did not directly question that the administration is trying to zero funds for tracing and contact testing, arguing that health experts even say it will never work, but said it is early in the negotiation process and that the talks will start on Monday.
“There have really been no negotiations to date. There have been a couple of conversations about current financing needs and reservations from previous legislative packages,” the official said. “The President is fully committed to a robust aid package that addresses real needs. $ 14.7 billion remains in NIH and CDC from previous care law allocations and discussions will begin in earnest on Monday.”
This news comes days after public health officials and lawmakers issued alarms about a new program that directs hospitals to report COVID-19 data directly to the Department of Health and Human Services rather than the CDC.
While the White House says the new requirement, which began Wednesday, will make hospitals’ coronavirus data collection more centralized and efficient, some fear that HHS control and the use of a system managed by a Private contractor instead of CDC’s existing data collection channels can politicize the findings and remove experts from the loop.
On Friday, the White House also prevented CDC Director Robert Redfield from testifying before Congress next week on how to reopen schools safely.
Congress is now vying to put together the next coronavirus stimulus package before lawmakers break up for the August recess, tentatively slated to begin on August 10, and unemployment benefits, desperately needed for so many Americans, run out End of the month.
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is set to present his bill this week as he prepares to sit down with Democrats to negotiate the next stimulus package ahead of the November presidential election.
Two senior Republican Party advisers said the Republican bill will be about $ 1 trillion to $ 1.3 trillion.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi derided that amount as too little, signaling her house’s approval of a more than $ 3 billion coronavirus relief bill two months ago. It included $ 75 billion for testing, contact tracing, and isolation measures.
“I have no doubt that they will come,” Peolsi said in an interview with Bloomberg. “At first they said, ‘No, we have spent enough money.’ Now they are at $ 1.3 trillion. That is not enough. We have $ 3.4 trillion.”
McConnell has called the bill a “liberal wish list.”
The two sides remain widely separated in several key areas.
Democrats have insisted on the House-passed bill that includes help for frontline workers, state and local governments, and more money for hospitals, testing, schools, nutrition and housing assistance. Senate Democrats seek to add an additional $ 430 billion for education-related needs. On Thursday, Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and his caucus also unveiled a $ 350 billion plan to target aid to communities of color, which have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus.
Describing his bill Thursday, McConnell said four key themes will prevail: liability protection, schools, jobs, and health care.
As the nation’s unemployment rate remains historically high, it appears that certain legislators will continue to expand pandemic unemployment benefits. But Congress is unlikely to continue those benefits before they run out later this month.
Republicans have struggled against a flat rate of $ 600 per week created under the original CARES Act virus relief bill, alleging it is a disincentive to work for those who earned less before the virus struck. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, who would administer that part of the bill, has indicated that the benefit is likely to decline and not end abruptly.
There’s a lingering question about whether or not to send modest-income Americans another round of stimulus checks, one of the most popular provisions of the latest stimulus bill. Trump has expressed his support, and Sen. Roy Blunt, a Mo. Republican, said Thursday that he was “open to it.”
The only area where there is much more agreement is helping small businesses. The popular Paycheck Protection Program, which was renewed until August 8, is likely to be reformed to target smaller businesses. Many companies have requested the opportunity to apply for a second PPP loan, but it is unclear whether Republicans will approve such a measure, as it would increase the overall price of the invoice.
McConnell said Thursday that he knows the way forward will not be easy.
Presenting his plan mid-week “will only start the process,” he said.
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ABC News’ Katherine Faulders, Mariam Khan, Libby Cathey, Anne Flaherty and Jordyn Phelps contributed to this report.
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