Trump administration looks to claw back $11.4 billion in COVID funding from state and local health departments

The Federal Health Officials said Tuesday they were repeated $ 11.4 billion COVID-19-related funds For state and local public health departments and other health organizations around the country.

“The Covid-19 Pandemic is over, and HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that americans moved on from year ago,” The US Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement.

The statement saysThe centers for preventing illness and preventionExpected to recover the money starting for 30 days after the notifications, starting to be sent on Monday.

Officials say that money is mostly used for covid-19 repair projects, the recreation projects as well as community health employees addressed to community socks and those who do not risk. The step was first reported in NBC News.

Lori Freeman, CEO of the National Association of County & City Health officials, said most of the funds were set to end again. “It ended over the next six months,” he said. “No reason – why is it hidden today? It is more cruel and unusual behavior.”

In a relevant step, more than two dozen research related related related relevances funded by the National Institutes of Health Healthcanceled. Last month, the Trump administration closed the order fromCovidtest.govThe site where Americans have COVID-19 tests given to their mailboxes free of charge.

Although the Cavid Federal Public Emergency Emergency has ended, the virus still kills Americans: 458 People per week dead for the past four weeks,According to CDC data.

HHS does not provide more details about the federal government expected to recover the money from so-called “affected recipients.” But HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said to an email: “$ 11.4 billion is not the funds left.”

Freeman says his understanding is that state health departments have a money in Covid.

“The funds allowed by Congress, allocated to Congress, and it is from the door, mainly, in the hands of grants” – as, how it distributes it to the local.

Some of Covid Money are used to meet other public health issues, Freeman added. For example, waste waste that begins during Covid has become important for discovering other diseases.

“It is used in many ways to keep track of flu and patterns of new disease and developing diseases – and yet recentlythe inserting of measles“Freeman said.

Under the first Trump administration and the Biden Administration, billions of dollars were spent for the Covid response through legislation, including a Covid Relief Bill and the American Rescue Plan Act.

At this point, it is unclear how health departments are affected by the fundraising. But some start looking at what it means for them. In Washington State, for example, health officials have been announced to be more than $ 125 million in fund related to Covid ended immediately. They “examined the effect” of actions, they say.

In Los Angeles County, health officials say that they will lose over $ 80 million in core funds for vaccinations and other services. “Most of this fund supports the Surveillance of Disease, Public Health Service, Leaving Investigations at Health Care Facilities in Health Healthcare in an email.

This story originally shown Fortune.com

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