Even in the face of an increasingly deadly, global disease, the Trump administration is sticking to their preferred modus operandi of stretching funds as thinly as possible. Now, as they roll out their plan for responding to the Coronavirus, the administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has revealed that they’ll be taking some $136 million from programs like one that provides energy assistance for financially struggling families. $37 million will come from that program — known as LIHEAP — $63 million will come from the National Institutes of Health and $4.9 million will come from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Additionally, a full $4.2 million will come from Aging and Disability Services Programs.
The money will be used in part for the domestic production of medical masks that are typically imported from China. Each of the affected HHS programs still have substantial budgets left over after the cuts, which the department does not need Congressional authorization to carry out. Still, some Democrats like House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), have spoken out against the plan following the department’s notification to Congress.
Hoyer insisted:
‘That is reprogramming we believe undermines health care protections for the American people… It’s out of one pocket, into the other. Robbing Peter to pay Paul, we think, is not a good policy.’
HHS responded to concerns with a deluge of legalese and crisis communications-speak. A spokesperson insisted:
‘It is not an easy decision to transfer funds from other HHS programs, but it provides needed resources to continue the Department’s robust and multi-layered public health preparedness and response efforts.’
It’s unclear what exact options that Hoyer and other concerned members of Congress might have to compensate for the administration’s cuts, although even some Republicans have already been expressing grave concern about the apparent fumbling of Coronavirus preparation efforts by the administration. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) suggested that the administration was “lowballing” with their initial request for $2.5 billion in emergency funding from Congress.
He commented:
‘It seems to me at the outset that this request for the money, the supplemental, is lowballing it, possibly, and you can’t afford to do that.’
Other Republicans, like Sen. Mitt Romney (Utah), have expressed similar concerns.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the administration’s virus response efforts funding plan “anemic,” insisting:
‘What he’s doing is late, too late, anemic. Hopefully we came make up for the loss of time but we have to have professionals in place, resources that are adequate and not use scare tactics about people coming back to our country.’
Pelosi calls Trump’s Covid-19 response meager, anemic, too late. pic.twitter.com/2CQne2hP6l
— Michael McAuliff (@mmcauliff) February 26, 2020
On his own time, Trump — forever lost in the fog of his ego — has suggested that duly proceeding news coverage of the virus is some kind of conspiracy to make him look bad.
He tweeted:
‘Low Ratings Fake News MSDNC (Comcast) & @CNN are doing everything possible to make the Caronavirus look as bad as possible, including panicking markets, if possible. Likewise their incompetent Do Nothing Democrat comrades are all talk, no action. USA in great shape!’
While facing the virus, the U.S. could have a competent leader — instead, they have this self-obsessed buffoon who can’t even be bothered to spell the virus correctly. Maybe he thinks hurricanes are fake news conspiracies by the Democrats, too.
Low Ratings Fake News MSDNC (Comcast) & @CNN are doing everything possible to make the Caronavirus look as bad as possible, including panicking markets, if possible. Likewise their incompetent Do Nothing Democrat comrades are all talk, no action. USA in great shape! @CDCgov…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 26, 2020
