Today, President Trump signed H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act into law.
The bill was introduced and passed the House on March 4 by a vote of415-2. The Senate passed the bill on March 5 by a vote of 96-1.
Passage in both chambers of Congress leads to today’s bill signing by President Trump, Public Law 116-123.
Initially, the President requested $1.5 billion to address the impact of the virus. Congress especially House and Senate Democrats declared the President needed twice that amount given the insurmountable task facing the country.
The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act is the first piece of legislation to address the Coronavirus pandemic.
The bill provides funds for the following areas of response:
- Development of testing, vaccines and treatments.
- Aid for State and Local Governments
- Resources for the Strategic National Stockpile
- Eases rules to make telehealth more accessible
A Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report summarizing the bill can be found here: CRS Report
Politico has produced a great infographic of the funding:
Congress is discussing a second COVID bill (COVID-2) to address the economic impact of the virus and the corresponding shutdown of numerous cities and states.
Check out this blog for further update about Congressional action to combat COVID-19.
