China News Agency, Washington, March 4th (Reporter Shao Tingting) The US House of Representatives voted on the 4th to approve a US $ 8.3 billion budget to respond to the new crown pneumonia epidemic.
The budget has the joint support of Republicans and Democrats. In the voting on that day, 415 votes in favor and 2 votes against were passed smoothly. The US $ 8.3 billion included in the budget will be used for vaccines, research and development of treatment methods, governments at all levels to prevent and respond to the new crown pneumonia threat, reserve medical supplies and other preparatory measures.
Before voting that day, several Democratic lawmakers demanded that a supplementary clause be added to the budget, which would limit future prices of new crown pneumonia vaccines, but were opposed by Republican lawmakers and pharmaceutical companies. Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and a Democrat, eventually called for Democrats to abandon the clause because he was worried that discussions on the clause would delay voting, so as to ensure that the budget can be passed in time.
Next, the Senate will vote on the budget. Senate Majority (Republican) leader McConnell said on the same day that "the time is now for unity and cooperation."
If the budget passes in the Senate, it will be sent to the White House. President Trump has already agreed to sign the budget. It is worth mentioning that the $ 8.3 billion budget far exceeds the $ 2.5 billion budget previously requested by the Trump administration to Congress.
Combining the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state statistics, there are currently more than 150 confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in the United States, of which 11 have died. At a hearing on the new crown pneumonia epidemic held in the Senate on the 3rd, many members questioned the strength of the CDC's detection of the virus. (Finish)