President Donald Trump signed into law Friday morning the $8.3 billion funding bill to fight the spread of the coronavirus in the United States.
Trump and the White House had previously requested $2.5 billion, but congressional leaders from both parties pushed back asking for more. Republicans originally requested around $4 billion while Democrats asked for $8 billion. The difference in the amount requested actually had to do with the length of the budget, with the White House originally calling for one year of funding while Democrats pushed for four to five.
US President Donald Trump signs a USD 8 billion emergency funding bill to combat COVID-19, coronavirus, in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington, DC on March 6, 2020. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The bill passed both chambers earlier in the week by near unanimous votes. Only two congressmen, Arizona Republican Andy Biggs and Colorado Republican Ken Buck, and one senator, Kentucky Republican Rand Paul, voted against the legislation. All three claimed that the requested amount was far too high and called for a reduction to the original amount requested by the White House. (RELATED: President Donald Trump Meets With Senate Republicans To Discuss New Plans For DREAMers)
National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow told reporters Friday morning that the White House “might need to come back” for additional funding to fight the coronavirus in the future.
Trump left the White House for a multi-stop trip to the South shortly after signing the bill. The administration had originally cancelled his scheduled trip to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over concerns of a confirmed coronavirus case in the agency, which eventually proved to be false.
US President Donald Trump holds up an USD 8 billion emergency funding bill to combat COVID-19, coronavirus, after signing it as US Health Secretary Alex Azar looks on in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington, DC on March 6, 2020. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The president told reporters gathered for the signing that he was going to try to still stop by the CDC if possible, and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar added that he would still be going.
Trump will also visit Nashville, Tennessee on Friday to help with the relief effort after a tornado killed dozens earlier in the week before heading to Florida for the weekend.