FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he holds a campaign rally in Colorado Springs, Colorado, February 20, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is sending to the U.S. Congress a budget request for $2.5 billion to fight coronavirus, the White House said on Monday.

More than $1 billion of the money would go toward developing a vaccine, the White House said.

“Today, the Administration is transmitting to Congress a $2.5 billion supplemental funding plan to accelerate vaccine development, support preparedness and response activities and to procure much needed equipment and supplies,” Rachel Semmel, a spokeswoman for the White House Office of Management and Budget, said in a statement.