Schumer unveiled the details of his funding request, which he also sent to the Appropriations Committee, arguing that Congress "must act swiftly" to confront the virus.



“This proposal brings desperately-needed resources to the global fight against coronavirus. Americans need to know that their government is prepared to handle the situation before coronavirus spreads to our communities. I urge the Congress to move quickly on this proposal. Time is of the essence," Schumer said in a statement on Wednesday. The spending request is more than three times the $2.5 billion requested by the Trump administration. Trump's request included $1.25 billion in new funding, with the rest to be taken from existing health programs, including $535 million from fighting Ebola. The spending request is more than three times the $2.5 billion requested by the Trump administration. Trump's request included $1.25 billion in new funding, with the rest to be taken from existing health programs, including $535 million from fighting Ebola.

A senior administration official said the $2.5 billion request "was developed based on current and expected expenditures and input from our public health experts."



"We will work closely with Congress and hope a supplemental appropriations bill is enacted in a timely basis," the official added.

Schumer's request would be comprised entirely of new funding, a senior Senate Democratic aide said.

That funding would include $1.5 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, $3 billion for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund and $2 billion that would reimburse states and local governments for money they spend related to the coronavirus. It also would include $1 billion for vaccine development at the National Institutes of Health and $1 billion for an emergency reserve fund under the U.S. Agency for International Development.

“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,” Shelby told Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar during a hearing on the agency's budget request.