Trump Signs $8.3 Billion
Coronavirus Package President Trump signed a bill providing
$8.3 billion in emergency funding to
combat the coronavirus outbreak. The bill provides $7.76 billion to federal,
state and local agencies to battle the
coronavirus, as hundreds of cases are
confirmed in the United States. It also affords $500 million in waivers
for Medicare telehealth restrictions. Trump was expected to sign the bill at the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. The trip was canceled due to a scare from
a suspected coronavirus case at the CDC itself,
which turned out to be negative. The signed bill will send billions in aid to health agencies and vaccine research in order to slow the spread of the virus around the country. The funds far exceed the White House's
initial proposed amount of $2.5 billion,
which was largely criticized for being too low. Cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in
18 U.S. states, and officials expect
that number to still increase.