Trump administration to end funding for COVID-19 testing sites
The Trump administration is planning to cut funding for 13 drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites at a time when cases and deaths in the U.S. continue to skyrocket, Politico reported.
The community-based sites, which are in five states, will see their funding end at the end of June. Seven of the 13 sites are located in Texas, which has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases and is among the states with the highest rates of the virus.
The move also comes after President Trump stated he asked his team to slow down testing for the virus because more testing was revealing more cases of the virus in the country. The president made the astonishing comment during an indoor political rally for his re-election campaign in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 20.
According to one government official, coronavirus testing czar Brett Giroir, the government will support testing in other ways than direct funding and allow states to take control of the sites.
Texas lawmakers disagree that now is the time to pull back funding for testing.
"It's pretty clear to me, and I think it's clear to all of us, that with the uptick of cases, now is not the time to retreat from our vigilance in testing," Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) told Politico. "I believe that they need to extend that federal support in Texas, at least until we get this most recent uptick in cases addressed."
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Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."