Tuesday, September 6, 2022

From Roll Call: White House $47B supplemental request seeks COVID, Ukraine funding

For our look at funding / fiscal federalism.

- Click here for the article.  

The Biden administration is seeking tens of billions of dollars in emergency funds as part of the upcoming short-term spending bill lawmakers will take up this month, ranging from more military aid to Ukraine to heating and cooling assistance for low-income households.

Administration officials laid out the new requests, totaling $47.1 billion, on Friday ahead of the long Labor Day weekend. Congress reconvenes next week to start working on stopgap funding legislation on which President Joe Biden's signature is required before Oct. 1 in order to avert a partial government shutdown.

The largest individual piece of the White House proposal seeks $22.4 billion to cover ongoing needs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young said in a blog post that additional funds are needed to restart a suspended program that sent free at-home testing kits to U.S. households and help prepare for a "potential fall surge." Of the COVID-19 request, $18.4 billion would go to the Department of Health and Human Services and $4 billion would support global efforts to contain and treat the pandemic.