Congressional negotiators on Wednesday came together to clinch a bipartisan emergency funding package to combat the coronavirus, and both chambers are expected to pass the sweeping agreement by the end of the week.
The deal includes roughly $8.3 billion aimed at helping states and the federal government muster more power to fight the outbreak, which is nearing a pandemic and has claimed nine lives in the U.S., sickening more than 100 people across more than a dozen states.
Lawmakers released the full text of the measure early Wednesday afternoon, with plans to vote in the House later in the day. The Senate could clear the package as soon as Thursday, allowing Congress to ship the bill to President Donald Trump.
The deal comes after several days of partisan bickering over vaccine affordability and other issues that had ensnared the bipartisan, bicameral talks. Negotiators ultimately agreed to include $300 million “to help ensure that, when a vaccine is developed, Americans can receive it regardless of their ability to pay,” according to a House Democratic aide.
The agreement would also provide more than $3 billion for the research and development of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics, as well as $2.2 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including $950 million to support state and local health agencies. Half of that money would be disbursed within 30 days and each state will receive no less than $4 million, according to a Senate GOP summary of the package.
The bill includes $836 million for the National Institutes of Health. For aiding the global fight against the coronavirus, congressional leaders have laid out almost $1.3 billion for the United States Agency for International Development, including raising the cap from $10 million to $100 million for emergency evacuations
Under the deal, $61 million would go to the FDA for vaccines and other efforts to counter the virus, plus keeping up with shortages in medical products and trying to boost U.S. manufacturing of those items.
To make sure people on Medicare can connect with medical professionals without being unnecessarily exposed to the coronavirus, lawmakers have agreed to waive certain rules on using technology to remotely provide care while patients stay at home.
The Small Business Administration would also receive $20 million under the measure to increase the number of loans given to businesses affected by the outbreak.
The package far exceeds the $1.25 billion in new funding requested by the Trump administration, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle alarmed by what they deemed as the president’s paltry request to fight the bug amid criticism that his administration bungled its response and failed to keep the American people clued in about the potential severity of the outbreak.
Even though the multibillion-dollar infusion is expected to be signed into law quickly, many in Congress say they worry about the administration’s ability to coordinate response across all 50 states and territories to ensure enough test kits are available, that people who are infected are quickly isolated and that health workers are following protocol.
One of the biggest holdups involved a provision about vaccine affordability. Democrats had pressed for significant funding to purchase large amounts of coronavirus diagnostics, treatments and vaccines when they become available, which would then be made available to the public free of cost, according to a senior Democratic aide.
The aide claimed that Republicans tried to eliminate the “fair and reasonable price” federal procurement standard for the vaccines and treatments that will be developed and purchased with the emergency funds. “Fair and reasonable price” is a basic standard to prevent price gouging in federal contracts.
Republicans, however, argued they are trying to fight Democratic efforts to create a new set of price controls and that they are not asking for changes to the underlying procurement standards.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell knocked Democrats for their "last-minute demand" on vaccine affordability. "Everyone agrees that the potential diagnostics, therapeutics or vaccines that might come out of this new funding cannot only be available to the ultra-wealthy. We all agree on that," he said.
"We already have long-standing tried and true procedures so the government can buy and distribute new medicines in scenarios like this to ensure accessibility. These mechanisms are already in place. There's no need and this is no time to begin experimenting with ideological proposals that could jeopardize research, development and innovation."
John Bresnahan, Jennifer Scholtes, Sarah Owermohle, and Heather Caygle contributed to this report.
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