Trump administration budget cuts could become a major problem as coronavirus spreads

[Kablooie]

The Trump administration recently requested $2.5 billion in emergency funds to prepare the U.S. for a possible widespread outbreak of coronavirus. Critics, though, are pointing out that money might not be necessary if the administration hadn’t spent the past two years largely dismantling government units that were designed to protect against pandemics.

The cuts started in 2018, as the White House focused on eliminating funding to Obama-era disease security programs. In March of that year, Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer, whose job it was to lead the U.S. response in the event of a pandemic, abruptly left the administration and his global health security team was disbanded.

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Overall in 2018, Trump called for $15 billion in reduced health spending that had previously been approved, as he looked at increasing budget deficits, cutting the global disease-fighting budgets of the CDC, National Security Council (NSC), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Health and Human Services (HHS) in the process.

The effects of those cuts are being felt today. While the CDC announced plans to test people with flu-like symptoms for COVID-19, those have been delayed and only three of the country’s 100 public-health labs have been able to test for coronavirus. The administration’s request for additional funding came roughly two weeks after officials said HHS was almost out of funding for its response to the virus.

more:
https://fortune.com/2020/02/26/coronavirus-covid-19-cdc-budget-cuts-us-trump/

[Kaiserguy]

1. Sadly it won't matter to the MAGA type

They could being dying from the coronavirus and would still believe that it was Obama fault that they were dying.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

2. This is what you get when you elect AMATEURS.

[Scarsdale]

3. Amateurs?

Not when it comes to screwing the working class, and getting big tax breaks for the wealthy. They are professionals at THAT.