White House open to 'targeted' coronavirus testing funds in potential recovery package

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The White House on Tuesday softened its stance slightly on whether to include any new funding for coronavirus testing in a possible fifth recovery package, with a top spokeswoman saying Donald Trump would support dollars for "targeted testing."

The Trump administration reportedly had split with some congressional Republicans over the matter, with one report over the weekend saying the White House had told lawmakers the president would not sign a bill with new money for testing and other things like contact tracing. The report also stated administration officials were looking to bock new funds for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as for the Pentagon and State Department to counter the virus at home and in other countries.

The proposal reportedly angered many congressional Republicans, who are hearing from their concerned constituents back home.

Polls show clear majorities of Americans do not trust what the president tells them about the pandemic, and disapprove of his handling of the federal response.

Two-thirds of respondents to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released Friday said they no longer trust what Mr Trump says about the pandemic. And 60 per cent disapprove of how he and his administration have dealt with it.

At least 141,000 people have died in the United States from the virus, and at least 3.8m have tested positive.

Mr Trump, in an interview with Fox News that aired Sunday, again said the US numbers would be lower if the country tested less.

Medical experts say most of the tests are useless to treat many patients because it can take days of weeks for people to get test results. The White House has not said it is doing anything to help speed the turnaround on test results.

"No one is blocking any money for testing," White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said during a Tuesday briefing.

She said – vaguely – that Mr Trump would accept some unknown amount for "targeted testing."

Ms McEnany did not, however, define what that would look like on the ground – especially in hard-hit cities and areas.

And funds lawmakers might insist be included for testing would need to be "targeted" for testing "that makes the most sense."

One reason the White House is pushing back against language that would simply allocate billions more for testing is an existing account still has $10b specifically for testing remaining, Ms McEnany said.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, wants an agreement on a possible "Phase Five" coronavirus bill by the end of next week. With Republican lawmakers and the GOP White House still trying to come together on a unified negotiating position, and Democrats wanting to spend much more, it remains unclear if a deal is possible.

Democratic officials continue to blast the Trump administration's lack of a testing plan.

"So, the national testing scene is a complete disgrace," Colorado Governor Jared Polis told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "So, every test we send out to private lab partners nationally, Quest, Labcorp, seven days, eight days, nine days maybe six days if we're lucky. Almost useless from an epidemiological or even diagnostic perspective."