The White House on Friday asked Congress to allocate $47 billion in new emergency funding to help the federal government respond to COVID and monkeypox, flooding and bolster Ukraine aid, The Washington Post reports.
The administration asked Congress for $22.4 billion in public health funds to develop and purchase new vaccines and treatments aimed at new COVID variants.
The money would also help restart programs that have recently run out of funds, including free test kits for families.
“While we have made tremendous progress in our ability to protect against and treat COVID-19, we must stay on our front foot,” said Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, in a letter sent to Congress on Friday. “Doing so requires additional resources, which is why today we are updating our previous funding request.”
Monkeypox:
The White House also asked for $4.5 billion to boost the federal monkeypox response.
The money would help the feds buy and distribute more vaccines that have been in short supply.
The proposal also includes $6.5 billion to respond to natural disasters, including recent deadly floods in Kentucky.
Ukraine:
The administration also asked Congress to approve another $13.7 billion in aid for Ukraine.
The aid would help buy new military equipment and go toward intelligence gathering and economic assistance.
Young told Congress in her letter that about three-quarters of the aid already approved by Congress has been “disbursed or committed.”
