Senate Democrats Call for $25 Billion to Fund Covid-19 Vaccine

Senate Democrats are calling on Congress for $25 billion in emergency funding to support the production and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine — and for the Trump administration to lay out a distribution plan for a COVID-19 vaccine or vaccines no later than Aug. 7.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ranking Member, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, submitted a Democratic “roadmap” to the Congress that calls for the government to purchase and distribute a vaccine. Failing that,  Congress should fill in any gaps in insurance coverage of vaccines to make sure it is free to everyone, including the uninsured, she said.

The roadmap also highlights other key areas including: rigorous standards for vaccine development and scientific review; scaling vaccine manufacturing and preventing supply chain challenges; ensuring equitable distribution of vaccines; and ensuring post-market surveillance and safety.

Read the full roadmap here: www.fdanews.com/07-14-20-MurrayVaccinesWhitePaper.pdf.