Monkeypox: White House Requests $4 Billion in Emergency Funding
A $47.1 billion emergency funding request has been made by the White House to cover anticipated costs associated with Ukraine, COVID-19, monkeypox, and natural disasters.
In the Biden administration’s view, the funding request will be part of a short-term spending package that will fund the government until September 30, when the current spending package expires.The White House intends to fund the testing, research, and development of new vaccines and therapeutics as part of the updated COVID-19 funding request.
Moreover, it would assist in preparing for future variants and supporting the global response to COVID-19.To avoid a government shutdown by the end of the month, lawmakers are expected to return to Washington after the August recess with a significant legislative agenda.
The focus of Congress is on passing a stop-gap spending bill before midnight on September 30, when government funding expires.The upcoming weeks will see Congress pass continuing resolutions, or CRs, to prevent a government shutdown.According to a blog post by Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, the administration has provided Congress with “technical assistance” on how to fund the four areas in a CR to avoid disruptions to public services.“Without additional funding, we will have to make more difficult decisions,” a senior administration official said on Friday.On Friday, officials announced that the administration had suspended the program to send free COVID-19 tests to Americans.
