Lawmakers in Congress reached a nearly $8 billion bipartisan deal Wednesday to help fight coronavirus, as the disease continues to spread in the U.S.
“This should not be about politics; this is about doing our job to protect the American people from a potential pandemic,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby said, according to NBC News. “We worked together to craft an aggressive and comprehensive response that provides the resources the experts say they need to combat this crisis. I thank my colleagues for their cooperation and appreciate President Trump’s eagerness to sign this legislation and get the funding out the door without delay.”
President Donald Trump held a press conference at the end of February, discussing how the U.S. will deal with the disease and putting Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the task force. (RELATED: President Trump Appoints Vice President Pence To Head Coronavirus Task Force)
Los Angeles County declared a health emergency Wednesday as the number of coronavirus cases increased to seven, with six new cases.
Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a briefing on the administration’s coronavirus response in the press briefing room of the White House on March 3, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley recently introduced legislation to help secure the U.S. medical product supply chain by requiring that manufacturers report imminent or forecasted shortages of life-saving or life-sustaining medical devices to the FDA, just as they currently do for pharmaceutical drugs. (RELATED: What Does The Coronavirus Mean For Our Politics And Economy?)