Trump plans cut to federal support for virus testing sites
The Trump administration announced that the funding for 13 testing sites for Covid-19 will end in June because, it said, it could cause further spread of the disease.
State officials, including some in Texas, where the cut will affect seven sites, have reacted with alarm at the announcement and called the move “irresponsible”.
Funding and support for the sites was to end even as Covid-19 cases were surging in several states. The sites that were to be closed were located in Texas, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Colorado.
Hospital admissions hit record highs in seven US states on Tuesday and in Texas they had risen 60% over the last week
According to the Guardian, four US congressmen from Texas urged the government to reconsider the plan, telling the government in a letter that the defunding would be “harmful and irresponsible”.
“We need the support of Fema now more than ever as our communities and the state of Texas see unprecedented growth in cases of the coronavirus disease,” the members of Congress said, including Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat whose district covers much of east Houston.
“At this time, we must expand the number of people tested per day to prevent further spread of the virus.
“We must continue to protect our vulnerable communities and the capacity of our healthcare system.”
Chuck Schumer, the minority leader of the Senate, also expressed alarm at the funding cut on Wednesday morning.
“Let me get this straight: Cases are spiking across the country,” Schumer wrote on Twitter.
“The admin has $14 billion for testing and tracing that they haven’t spent. But President Trump thinks the right move is to pull federal support for testing out of hotspot areas!?”