- $61M to the FDA for various uses relevant to COVID-19 response.
- $20M to the Small Business Administration for admin expenses incidental to carrying out the disaster loan program.
- $2.2B to Department of Health and Human Services for preparations/preventions/responses to COVID-19; Not less than $950M to be used for grants or co-op agreements with states, tribes, etc. Minimum of $475M to be allocated within 30 days.
- $836M to National Institutes of Health for COVID-19 prep/prevention/response. Including not less than $10M to go toward training to reduce hospital employee and first-responder exposure to COVID-19.
- $3.1B to Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund for developing innovations and enhancements to manufacturing platforms toward COVID-19 response. Emphasises creating affordable medication, among other things.
- $300M to same, for purchase of vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics.
- $264M to Department of State for COVID-19 response.
- $1M to USAID for Office of Inspector General oversight activities relevant to the funding
- $435M to Global Health Program funding / Bilateral Economic Assistance, administered by USAID.
- $300M to International Disaster Assistance
- $250M to Economic Support Fund (Economic, security, and stabilization purposes)
- Telehealth Services During Certain Emergency Periods Act of 2020
The ESF is a foreign-facing economic support fund. The idea is to stabilise Middle- and South-American countries, for example, to avoid mass migration. Or at least that's what we tell Republicans. The real purpose is obviously to help the poorest countries, because that's what you do when you can.
And, yes, $250M is a rounding error. But the foreign aid budget is famous for being estimated as 20% of the federal budget if you survey the general population, when in reality it's <0.5%. So this isn't unusual or anything.
I believe ESF is for supporting and stabilizing overseas (non-U.S.) democracies & strategic interests.
Speaking of US homeland economic support, one could argue that the combined effort shown by the bill, and all of the allocated budget money, is going toward support of the US economy in some way.
The bill, as I understand it, temporarily allows telemedicine to be billed via government programs, whereas prior to this ‘war’, it was not possible. After the ‘war’ is over, telemedicine will not be covered by such programs.
Additionally, for a doctor to practice in a particular state, the medical board of that state grants and revoked licenses, restricting the practice of medicine to only doctors licensed in the state or states.
The bill also temporarily waives that, to allow for telemedicine to be conducted across states, but only temporarily.
- $61M to the FDA for various uses relevant to COVID-19 response.
- $20M to the Small Business Administration for admin expenses incidental to carrying out the disaster loan program.
- $2.2B to Department of Health and Human Services for preparations/preventions/responses to COVID-19; Not less than $950M to be used for grants or co-op agreements with states, tribes, etc. Minimum of $475M to be allocated within 30 days.
- $836M to National Institutes of Health for COVID-19 prep/prevention/response. Including not less than $10M to go toward training to reduce hospital employee and first-responder exposure to COVID-19.
- $3.1B to Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund for developing innovations and enhancements to manufacturing platforms toward COVID-19 response. Emphasises creating affordable medication, among other things.
- $300M to same, for purchase of vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics.
- $264M to Department of State for COVID-19 response.
- $1M to USAID for Office of Inspector General oversight activities relevant to the funding
- $435M to Global Health Program funding / Bilateral Economic Assistance, administered by USAID.
- $300M to International Disaster Assistance
- $250M to Economic Support Fund (Economic, security, and stabilization purposes)
- Telehealth Services During Certain Emergency Periods Act of 2020