House Passes $7.8 Billion for Emergency Virus Spending

(Bloomberg) -- The House passed a $7.8 billion emergency spending bill Wednesday to fund the U.S. government's response to the coronavirus outbreak. The Senate is expected to vote on the measure later this week and send it to President Donald Trump for his signature.

The bipartisan bill, passed 415-2, is more than triple the amount Trump last week proposed spending to deal with the virus. In addition to $7.8 billion that would be appropriated, the measure waives restrictions on a Medicare telehealth program to let recipients get remote care at a estimated cost of $500 million.

Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday at a meeting with House Democrats that the administration supports the spending bill, lawmakers said. There are more than 100 cases of coronavirus infection in the U.S., Pence said earlier, and 11 people have died. Total cases globally have topped 93,000.

The bill, H.R. 6074, would reimburse state and local governments for the cost of preparing for and fighting the virus. It includes $3.1 billion to stockpile medical supplies and $300 million for government purchases of tests, vaccines and therapies to ensure that the poor have access.

Republicans Ken Buck of Colorado and Andy Biggs of Arizona voted against the measure.

Lawmakers spent much of this week haggling over how to ensure that a coronavirus vaccine is affordable for Americans. The bill seeks to ensure that the federal government pays a fair price for vaccines, and it allows the Health and Human Services secretary to regulate the commercial price. Democrats had initially sought a stricter price cap.

A group of House Democrats met with executives from Sanofi, Merck & Co., Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. and GlaxoSmithKline Plc on Wednesday and were told it could take as long as two years to develop a coronavirus vaccine.

Another $1.25 billion will be directed to combating the spread of the virus overseas and there is $1 billion in loan subsidies to provide $7 billion in low-interest loans to small businesses.

Republicans put the cost of the final measure at $7.8 billion, while Democrats also counted the $500 million in Medicare funds to make a total of $8.3 billion.

Trump originally asked for $1.25 billion in new funds along with permission to take another $1.25 billion from other government social and health programs, though he said he would welcome whatever spending Congress approves.

“This should not be about politics; this is about doing our job to protect the American people from a potential pandemic,” Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican, said in a statement. “We worked together to craft an aggressive and comprehensive response that provides the resources the experts say they need to combat this crisis.”

The money in the spending bill won't be taken from any other existing government funds, and lawmakers added provisions to prevent Trump from using the new funds for other projects such as his southern border wall. Lawmakers have said that additional money may be needed later to combat the coronavirus.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Wasson in Washington at ewasson@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asséo

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