Senate Pauses $10 Billion COVID-19 Supplemental Funding Package 

 

On Monday, April 4, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced there was a bi-partisan agreement on legislation to fund a $10 billion package for coronavirus relief. The agreement includes $9.25 billion for therapeutics, testing, and vaccines and $750 million to research future variants. The legislation is fully offset by unspent funds from previously passed COVID-19 funding packages. Senator Schumer and House Leadership aimed to pass the legislation this week, but the bill stalled in the Senate because of a partisan fight over whether to allow a vote on an amendment to reinstate the Title 42 restrictions that had been used to deny migrants’ asylum claims at the U.S.-Mexico border. Congress is now in recess.