U.S. Representative Pete Aguilar of California was among the 415 members of Congress who voted yes on an $8.3 billion emergency package to address the coronavirus outbreak.
The bipartisan bill came after the Trump administration requested just $2.5 billion in aid.
"Quite frankly, we didn't feel that the administration's dollar amount was up to the task," Aguilar (D-Calif. 31st District) told Cheddar.
The representative also took issue with the White House's plan to raid other federal health programs to offset costs. The administration eyed $136 million in cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services, including funding for mental health and substance abuse treatment, Ebola treatment and prevention, and heating assistance for low-income households.
"We're not going to sacrifice prevention for treatment for Ebola or other items in order to deal with coronavirus," Aguilar said.
In addition to increased funding, Aguilar called for more information and transparency from government officials. He responded specifically to Trump's comments on the Fox News show Hannity on Wednesday night that the 3.4 percent global mortality rate agreed upon by the World Health Organization earlier this week "is really a false number."
Aguilar said the president stopped just short of calling the number "fake news," and that speculation of this kind impedes efforts to keep people informed.
"The public health world and the World Health Organization don't care what the president's hunch is about these numbers," he said. "We need more folks in white lab coats briefing the public rather than the president going on the partisan Hannity show."
The vast majority of the new funding ($7.8 million) will go to agencies working to fight the outbreak, with $500 million set aside for Medicare providers to use telehealth options for elderly patients so they can avoid potentially exposing themselves by visiting a doctor's office.
The aid package is now headed to the Senate, which is expected to approve the funding, and then onto Trump's desk.
"We'll spend whatever is appropriate," the president said last week.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
The two-sentence footnote raised serious concerns about accuracy and credibility.
Real estate software company RealPage has agreed to stop sharing nonpublic information between landlords as part of a settlement with the Department of Justice.
A legislative package to end the government shutdown appears on track. A handful of Senate Democrats joined with Republicans to advance the bill after what's become a deepening disruption of federal programs and services. But hurdles remain. Senators are hopeful they can pass the package as soon as Monday and send it to the House. What’s in and out of the bipartisan deal has drawn criticism and leaves few senators fully satisfied. The legislation includes funding for SNAP food aid and other programs while ensuring backpay for furloughed federal workers. But it fails to fund expiring health care subsidies Democrats have been fighting for, pushing that debate off for a vote next month.
