The coronavirus pandemic has swept the globe, and here in the U.S., unless strong measures are taken seriously, we could see far more deaths. The stock market is volatile, with Dow futures plunging 1,000 points after the Fed slashed interest rates to nearly zero on Sunday. With the country in disarray, Donald Trump’s budget director still stands by the proposed budget cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) despite the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19.
It’s almost as if America placed a dangerous man in the highest seat in the land.
Russ Vought, the acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, doubled down on the administration’s decision last week. Vought told Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) during a congressional hearing that the Trump administration does not plan on amending its 2021 budget that proposes reducing Health and Human Services funding by $9.5 billion. That means that the CDC’s budget would be cut by $1.2 billion, and it would also eliminate $35 million from the Infection Diseases Rapid Response Reserve Fund, according to Salon.
“The question is today, as we sit here and we know about coronavirus and the impact it’s taking on the people of the world and the economies of the world and the stock market and everything, as you sit here today, are you ready to take that back?” Cartwright asked Vought in regards to the 2021 budget cuts.
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“If you’re asking if I’m sending up a budget amendment, no, I’m not sending up a budget amendment,” Vought responded.
On Monday, Surgeon General Jerome Adams warned that the U.S. is at a “critical inflection point” with the coronavirus outbreak and said, “there’s every chance that we could be Italy” if people don’t follow basic public health measures that have been advised recently. Italy recorded 3,590 cases on Sunday from the virus and 398 deaths in a 24-hour period.
The unemployment rate is going to soar, with restaurants, cruise lines, theaters, and sports events shuttering to slow down the virus. Meanwhile, Donald Trump tweeted, “God Bless the USA!” on Monday morning to a panicked nation. Trump’s proposal to slash the CDC’s budget would make a great ad for Democrats.
Featured image via screen capture
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