US Proposes $1 Billion Budget for COVID-19 Response

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The White House is pushing to request an additional budget of about $1 billion (approximately 1.2 trillion KRW) from Congress to respond to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 24th (local time) that the U.S. government is launching an all-out effort to prevent and respond to the spread of COVID-19 ahead of this fall's presidential election.

WP, citing multiple sources, reported that the White House is preparing to request an emergency spending package to secure funds for COVID-19 response as early as this week. The budget request is expected to be submitted to Congress within a few days.

Following China, infections have surged in Japan, Korea, and Italy, creating gaps in virus containment efforts, spreading economic ripple effects, and causing extreme turmoil in financial markets. As this situation continues, the U.S. government can no longer delay countermeasures. On this day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 1,000 points amid concerns over the spread of COVID-19, wiping out all gains made this year.

The Trump administration formed an interagency COVID-19 task force directly under President Donald Trump at the end of last month and is discussing response measures.

The White House and U.S. government are concerned that a large-scale outbreak before the November election and the resulting economic downturn could be a fatal blow to President Donald Trump's reelection bid, and are considering proactive responses.

The U.S. administration has strengthened its response to COVID-19, starting with travel bans and suspension of flights to China. On the 22nd, the U.S. Department of State and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised the travel advisory for Korea to Level 2 regarding COVID-19. Diplomatic circles expect that Korea could also face travel advisories at Level 3 or 4, similar to China.

The Washington Post (WP) recently reported that President Trump was not informed in advance that Americans infected with COVID-19 were returning home on chartered flights, and later, upon learning this, he became very upset with his senior aides.