Hurd Fights for Texas Communities Involved in Caring for Coronavirus Patients

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I recently joined my colleagues in passing a multi-billion-dollar supplemental funding bill to further address the ongoing coronavirus—also called COVID-19—situation in the U.S. The measure included reimbursements for state and local response efforts in places like San Antonio, which I was instrumental in securing.

It’s vital we continue to take action to prevent the spread of coronavirus here in the United States. Texas and my hometown of San Antonio answered the call to care for our fellow Americans in their time of need, and it’s important our community and others are not financially burdened by shouldering the costs in dealing with this public health crisis. This supplemental measure will provide added resources to fight COVID-19 in addition to reimbursing local jurisdictions for their efforts, and I’m glad the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will have additional tools to protect the health and well-being of Americans.

The package devotes major funding to combat COVID-19 through:

• $4 billion to increase the number of diagnostic tests available and invest in vaccine development and procurement once a vaccine is available
• Nearly $1 billion exclusively for state and local response efforts
• $2.2 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including $300 million for their Infection Disease Rapid Response Fund
• $20 million in disaster loan assistance for small businesses impacted by COVID-19
• $1.25 billion to protect Americans abroad and prevent the spread of COVID-19 worldwide

The CDC also made available an immediate $1.75 million for Texas jurisdictions for the burden of response and preparedness activities to date.

You can read the full text of the supplemental funding bill here.