U.S. SAYS $7B MAY BE NEEDED FOR MONKEYPOX

The Biden administration privately estimated to Congress this month that it may need nearly $7 billion to mount a response to the nation’s monkeypox outbreak that matches “the scope and urgency of the current situation.”

The funding estimate, the details of which were contained in a memo addressed to President Joe Biden and obtained by The Washington Post, reflected early talks among congressional Democrats and White House officials in pursuit of a spending package that could boost the availability of monkeypox tests, vaccine doses and treatments.

The amount did not mark a formal request for aid to Congress. Rather, it was one of a series of options reflecting various amounts that could fund varying levels of federal mitigation efforts. White House aides recently presented the ideas at the request of Democratic leaders on the Senate’s top health-focused committee, according to the memo. A Democratic aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private conversations, confirmed the funding details to The Post.

The Biden administration also called for as much as $31.4 billion in new funds to combat the coronavirus pandemic, as it seeks to ensure the government has the resources necessary to purchase more treatments, testing and vaccines this year.

The White House already had urged Congress repeatedly to approve another tranche of aid targeting COVID-19. But Republicans have raised numerous fiscal objections to additional federal spending, resulting in a stalemate that has forced the Biden administration to ration the funds that remain. The new discussions around monkeypox aid could face similar political obstacles, because some GOP lawmakers previously have said they are only willing to repurpose existing funds, not authorize new dollars.

Federal officials have identified about 3,500 cases, overwhelmingly among gay and bisexual men, and have warned that the virus is likely to spread to broader populations.