U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) said Thursday in a news release that he is “pleased” with the passage of the emergency supplemental funding package he helped author that will provide funds to help fight the spread of the coronavirus and treat victims.
The effort passed the House of Representatives Wednesday by a vote of 415-2; the Senate passed the legislation 96-1.
“I am pleased Congress has swiftly passed this emergency supplemental to combat the dangerous Coronavirus,” Shelby stated.
The final amount the bill will authorize is $8.3 billion.
According to information provided by Shelby’s office, the money will be split among a few different federal agencies.
The release said, “The package provides funding through the Departments of Health and Human Services ($6.497 billion) and State ($1.25 billion), as well as the Food and Drug Administration ($61 million) and the Small Business Administration ($20 million). Further, the package authorizes an additional $500 million in mandatory spending for telehealth through Medicare.”
“I want to thank my colleagues for their support and cooperation in advancing this package, and I look forward to President Trump signing it into law. As I have said before, this is not about politics; this is about doing our job to protect the American people from a deadly disease,” Shelby remarked.
The entirety of Alabama’s congressional delegation either voted in favor of the bill or were not in attendance for the vote.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.
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