Trump Wants To Cut Testing/Tracing Funds Out Of New Bill

it is beyond doubt that Donald Trump has badly mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. He tried to claim it was a hoax and ignored it. That didn't work. Then he refused to provide the needed testing until forced to do so, and even then did not provide the amount of tests needed to control the virus.

As the virus continued to rage across the country, he then demanded the states reopen their economies. That just made things worse, because it gave the virus a new impetus. Now he's trying to blame the growing number of cases and deaths on the testing. He says if we didn't test so much, we wouldn't have so many cases.

Of course that's the height of stupidity. The virus doesn't care whether you test or not. It's going to spread. The testing doesn't create new cases. It's the only way to find out where the virus is, so it can be traced and controlled.

But Trump doesn't care about the health and lives of Americans. He is just worried that the spread of the virus makes him look bad, and hurts his chances of being re-elected. That's why he is now doubling-down on his stupid testing theory. He is trying to get all funding for testing and tracing cut out of the new stimulus bill being considered by Congress right now.

Here is part of how Erica Werner and Jeff Stein describe Trump's new stupidity in The Washington Post:

The Trump administration is trying to block billions of dollars for states to conduct testing and contact tracing in the upcoming coronavirus relief bill, people involved in the talks said Saturday.

The administration is also trying to block billions of dollars that GOP senators want to allocate for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and billions more for the Pentagon and State Department to address the pandemic at home and abroad, the people said.

The administration’s posture has angered some GOP senators, the officials said, and some lawmakers are trying to push back and ensure that the money stays in the bill. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to reveal confidential deliberations, cautioned that the talks were fluid and the numbers were in flux.

The negotiations center around a bill Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is preparing to unveil this coming week as part of negotiations with Democrats on what will likely be the last major coronavirus relief bill before the November election. . . .

The two political parties are far apart on a number of contentious issues, such as unemployment insurance, but the conflict between Trump administration officials and Senate Republicans on money for testing and other priorities is creating a major complication even before bipartisan negotiations get under way. Some lawmakers are trying to reach a deal quickly, as enhanced unemployment benefits for millions of Americans are set to expire in less than two weeks.

One person involved in the talks said Senate Republicans were seeking to allocate $25 billion for states to conduct testing and contact tracing, but that certain administration officials want to zero out the testing and tracing money entirely. . . .

President Trump has repeatedly questioned the value of conducting widespread coronavirus testing, arguing that if there were fewer tests conducted, the number of infections would be lower. Coronavirus infections and deaths are on the rise in many states.

The administration is also seeking to zero out $10 billion in new funding for the CDC in the upcoming bill, while slashing spending for the Pentagon and State Department related to foreign aid, the person said. Trump has been skeptical of State Department spending and foreign aid generally, but it was unclear why the Trump administration would seek to block money for the Pentagon for a variety of coronavirus-related expenses such as reimbursing contractors for providing paid leave to employees. . . .

At the same time they push cuts in testing and CDC funds, administration officials are trying to use the spending package to fund priorities that appear not directly related to the coronavirus — including a new FBI building, which has been a longtime priority for Trump, according to people involved.