Congress Set To Give The “OK” For $8B In Response To Coronavirus This Week

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Mar 3, 2020

If you’ve bothered to turn on the TV, get on your phone, take a gander on your computer, or heck, just opened your eyes at all, then you’re probably aware of the coronavirus which is seemingly wreaking havoc all across the globe, including right here at home.

The virus started out in Wuhan, China and has gone global, infecting thousands upon thousands of people in countries in every part of the map. Thousands of died as well, including some in the United States.

As the cases begin to spread here on our own soil, Congress has decided they’re going to approve $8B response to the outbreak this week.

Here are the details from The Washington Examiner:

Congress will vote as soon as Wednesday on approximately $8 billion in federal funding to address the coronavirus outbreak, party leaders said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he expects a bipartisan funding deal will be unveiled Tuesday.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, said House lawmakers would vote “as early as tomorrow,” on the measure and would then send it to the Senate, which is expected to quickly clear the bill for President Trump’s signature.

Schumer said the bill would include “between $7 billion and $8 billion” for the effort to combat the spread of the virus, which has already claimed a half-dozen lives in the United States and has infected tens of thousands worldwide.

This particular measure far exceeds President Trump’s initial request for $2.5 billion, which would have made use of unspent funds sitting around in other accounts.

The president has stated that he would sign any coronavirus funding bill that Congress sent to his desk, so if they pass it, it’s a done deal.

The bill will likely contain reimbursement for local governments that have put forth effort to control the spread of the virus and will also put cash toward developing a coronavirus vaccine, though such a vaccine won’t be ready for everyone for at least a year.

Sen. Schumer has slammed the Trump administration’s response to coronavirus as being “slow and loose with the facts.” He’s also accused the president of blaming “everyone but himself” for the spread of the virus.

On the flip side, the GOP has also pointed the finger at Democrats, claiming they have politicized the coronavirus and are using it as a weapon against Trump, who they claim has acted in a timely fashion to stop this virus from spreading.

“Fortunately, in America, we’ve been preparing ahead of time,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, said Tuesday. “We don’t have the cases like China and others.”

McCarthy said Democrats are slowing down the coronavirus spending bill by trying to insert major policy legislation into the fast-moving measure.

Would it really be all that surprising to see the Democrats take advantage of this crisis and use it as a means of grabbing more power for the federal government and implementing more of their agenda? That’s the kind of strategy they’ve been using for years now.

McCarthy has stated that Democrats want to put a major prescription drug overhaul measure in the bill that failed to pass the House without any support from the Republican Party.

Again, not all that shocking given the Democratic Party’s track record.

In the meantime folks, try to keep your business together about this coronavirus stuff. It’s a serious matter, but please don’t panic. Be responsible and wash your hands frequently and cover your mouth when you cough and sneeze.

That’s the best we can really do to fight against the spread of this awful illness.