Covid-19 cases continue to rise across the U.S., but the Trump administration is making moves to cut off federal funding for testing sites in a handful of states by the end of the month.
Last Wednesday marked the largest daily increase of cases in the U.S. making this time very important to get the proper funding for proper testing. But President Trump is keeping his promise to slow down screenings for the virus.
“When you do testing to that extent, you’re going to find more people, you’re going to find more cases,” said Trump at a rally.
According to Politico, the federal government is ending its support for 13 drive-thru coronavirus testing sites on June 30, urging states to take over their operations — even as cases spike in several parts of the country.
7 of these sites are in the state of Texas which is currently experiencing a record increase in coronavirus cases. “The federally supported testing sites remain critically needed, and in someplace like Houston and Harris County, TX and in other hotspots, are needed now more than ever. This is not the time for the federal government to walk back prior commitments on testing,” says Scott Becker, CEO of the Association of Public Health Laboratories.
Colorado, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and New Jersey are the other four states whose testing sites will lose federal support this week.
“The pandemic is clearly getting worse in states nationwide—and instead of trying harder to stop it, President Trump is apparently trying harder to hide it. It’s completely unacceptable that while billions in federal dollars Congress passed to support testing sit unspent, this administration is closing testing sites in states where new Covid-19 cases are rapidly on the rise,” states Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Last Wednesday he demanded Trump reverse this decision.
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