The compromise received swift support from President Joe Biden, who initially pushed for a $ 22.5 billion package. In a reversal, it has come to terms with much less amid government warnings that the government is running out of money to keep up with the continuing – albeit declining – spread of the disease in the United States. “Every dollar we ask for is necessary and we will continue to work with Congress to get all the funding we need,” said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki. “But time is of the essence. “We urge Congress to move forward with this $ 10 billion package immediately, because it can start funding the most immediate needs.” Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., his party’s chief negotiator, also ended up abandoning Biden’s request for $ 5 billion to help countries – especially the poorest – where the sick is still out of control. But the two sides could not agree on enough budget savings to pay the larger sums. Sumer said the pact would provide “the tools we need” to help the country recover from the financial shocks and public health caused by COVID-19 over the past two years. But he said that while $ 10 billion “is absolutely necessary, it’s very little we really need to stay safe” over time. He said members of both parties wanted to create a second spending measure this spring that could include funds to fight COVID-19 and hunger abroad and more aid to Ukraine as it continues to fight the Russian invasion. The fate of such a measure is uncertain. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, the GOP chief negotiator, hailed the deal as a “COVID emergency.” He also trumpeted the measure’s savings, which he said meant “would not cost the American people an extra dollar.” Romney also openly suggested future money. “While this agreement does not include funding for the US Global Vaccination Program, I look forward to exploring a financially viable solution to support global efforts in the coming weeks,” he said. The deal comes with party leaders hoping to move legislation through Congress this week, before lawmakers leave for a two-week spring break. It also comes with BA.2, the new omicron variant, which is expected to cause a new increase in cases in the US. Some 980,000 Americans and more than 6 million people worldwide have died from COVID-19. At least half of the compromise should be used to research and produce treatments for the disease, according to Schumer and Romney newsletters. The money will also be used to buy vaccines and tests. At least $ 750 million will be used to research new variants of COVID-19 and to expand vaccine production, the descriptions said. The deal is also a reduction from a $ 15 billion issue negotiated by the two sides’ leaders last month. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California abandoned the plan after Democratic lawmakers rejected proposed cuts in state aid for the pandemic to help pay for the package. Some have said the fate of the new deal remains uncertain in Parliament, where Pelosi and the Liberal Democrats have voiced opposition to rejecting money to help other countries. MP Pramila Jayapal, head of the House of Representatives’ Progressive Group, said it was a “big problem” to remove global aid from the package. “It’s really short-sighted not to spend money to ensure that this virus is contained around the world,” Jayapal, a Democrat in Washington who has worked in global public health for a decade, told reporters. The deal would require at least 10 GOP votes to pass the Senate 50-50. Others said the necessary Republican votes would be available. The measure is being fully paid for by withdrawing unspent funds from previous pandemic relief bills that have been enacted, negotiators said. The Romney newsletter states that these savings include $ 2.3 billion from a fund that protects jobs in the aviation industry. $ 1.9 billion in aid money for pandemics closed due to the pandemic. another $ 1.9 billion from a program that helps states lend to small businesses. and $ 1.6 billion from agricultural assistance programs.
title: “Democratic Gop Senate Bargainers Reach 10B Covid Agreement " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-16” author: “Jonathan Kopf”
The compromise received swift support Monday from President Joe Biden, who initially pushed for a $ 22.5 billion package. In a reversal, it has come to terms with much less despite administration warnings that the government is running out of money to keep up with the continuing – albeit reduced – spread of the disease in the United States. “Every dollar we ask for is necessary and we will continue to work with Congress to get all the funding we need,” said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki. “But time is of the essence. “We urge Congress to move forward with this $ 10 billion package immediately, because it can start funding the most immediate needs.” Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Sumer, his party’s chief negotiator, abandoned Biden’s request for $ 5 billion to help countries – especially the poorest – where the disease is still rampant. The inability of Biden and the leading Democrats to protect the additional spending they wanted arose after the two parties blocked the Democratic Party’s demands to pay for it by withdrawing aid that had not been spent on previous pandemic measures. It also reflects the declining political power of the battle with COVID-19 this election year, two years after the pandemic began with bipartisan support for trillions of dollars. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, the GOP chief negotiator, hailed the deal as a “COVID emergency.” He also trumpeted the measure’s savings, which he said meant “would not cost the American people an extra dollar.” It was still uncertain Monday whether some Republicans’ objections could prevent the Senate from considering the bill this week, as Biden wants, before Congress begins a two-week spring break. Also, it was not yet certain that there would be the minimum 10 GOP votes required to pass the 50-50 parliament. His fate was also not guaranteed in Parliament, where House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and many liberals criticized the rejection of global aid. But the party leaders there showed that they were ready to compromise. Senate Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. faster. A senior Democrat in the House of Representatives, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe internal thinking, said it would be better to take what was possible and fight for more later. Schumer said the deal would provide “the tools we need” to help the country recover from the financial blows and public health caused by COVID-19. But he said that while $ 10 billion “is absolutely necessary, it’s very little we really need to stay safe” over time. He said members of both parties wanted to create a second spending measure this spring that could include funds to fight COVID-19 and hunger abroad and more aid to Ukraine as it continues to fight the Russian invasion. The fate of such a measure is uncertain. Romney also openly suggested future money. “While this agreement does not include funding for the US Global Vaccination Program, I look forward to exploring a financially viable solution to support global efforts in the coming weeks,” he said. The deal comes with BA.2, the new variant of Omicron, which is expected to cause a new increase in cases in the US. Some 980,000 Americans and more than 6 million people worldwide have died from COVID-19. At least half of the $ 10 billion deal will be used to research and produce therapeutic drugs to treat the disease, according to Schumer and Romney newsletters. The money will also be used to buy vaccines and tests. At least $ 750 million will be used to research new variants of COVID-19 and to expand vaccine production, the descriptions said. Administration officials said the government had run out of money to fund tests and treatments for COVID-19 for the uninsured. They also said that funds were being spent on boosters, vaccines focused on specific variants, free monoclonal antibody treatments and care for people with weakened immune systems. The deal is also a reduction from a $ 15 billion issue negotiated by the two sides’ leaders last month. Pelosi abandoned the plan after Democratic lawmakers rejected proposed cuts in state aid for the pandemic to help pay for the package. Democrats in both parliaments have protested against the elimination of global spending. A spokeswoman for Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Leader of the House of Representatives’ Progressive Group, said it was a “big problem” to cancel international aid and “not spend money to ensure that the virus would be contained worldwide”. ». Senator Chris Coons, D-Del., A leading foreign policy voice, said he would support the bill, but called it a “grave mistake” not to help other countries’ efforts. He called it “financially foolish” not to send tens of millions of unused vaccines abroad to the 2.8 billion unvaccinated people worldwide. The measure is being fully paid for by withdrawing unspent funds from previous pandemic relief bills that have been enacted, negotiators said. The Romney newsletter states that it includes $ 2.3 billion from a fund that protects jobs in the aviation industry. $ 1.9 billion in aid money for pandemics closed due to the pandemic. another $ 1.9 billion from a program that helps states lend to small businesses. and $ 1.6 billion from agricultural assistance programs.
