Senate Democrats announced Wednesday they are seeking a $30 billion program to increase coronavirus testing capacity to be included in Phase 4 of the economic stimulus package.
“We would very much like it to be part of the next COVID package,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters Wednesday. “As Secretary Mnuchin and I spoke this morning … the Democratic House and Senate will get together with the secretary’s office, and there’s no reason we can’t come to an agreement.”
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The $2 trillion relief package approved in March made coronavirus testing free for everyone regardless of insurance status.
Yet, the number of tests conducted daily falls short of what health professionals say is necessary. A tracker maintained by public health researchers and journalists reports that about 140,000 tests are performed daily. So far, only about 3,081,000 people in the United States — just short of 1% of the total population — have been tested.
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The $30 billion package would primarily work to increase test manufacturing and improve the supply chain for state health officials to get their hands on more tests, as well as fund development and distribution for other types of diagnostic or antibody tests.
While testing is free, it must be made available everywhere, the Democratic senators said. Even high-speed tests such as the 15-minute test created by Ohio-based manufacturer Abbott are not yet readily available to health officials and providers in each state.
The senators said that the Trump administration has a responsibility to improve testing capacity drastically, and governors cannot do it themselves.
“The administration isn’t doing it,” Schumer said. “Each state can’t have its own plan. We need a national plan.”
