Mandatory Credit: Photo by JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (10715787b) US President Donald J. Trump (L), alongside Republican Senator from South Carolina Lindsey Graham (R), play golf at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, USA, 18 July 2020. US President plays golf at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia,
Credit: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

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 […]

Read the Full Article