Earlier today New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo complains to the media about only getting $35 million in initial emergency funding for Coronavirus impacts.  WATCH:

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Last night CTH did our first review of the $8.3 billion COVID-19 appropriation as it passed through congress.  It is loaded with pork spending and foreign aid.  The bill was $7.8 billion at the beginning of the day and ended with $8.3 billion on final passage.

The emergency Coronavirus appropriation passed 96-1 in the Senate. The Senator voting against the bill was Rand Paul of Kentucky.

The foreign aid section is roughly $3 billion of the spending.  Senator Rand Paul proposed an amendment to rescind unobligated balances of current foreign aid appropriations because so much new money is being spent on this bill.  His amendment was defeated.

Here’s the breakdown:

• $61,000,000 HHS FDA Salaries
• $20,000,000 Small Business Admin Salaries and Emergency Loans.

♦ $2.2 Billion Center for Disease Control (CDC) Appropriation

• $950,000,000 CDC State Grants
• $300,000,000 Global Disease Prevention
• $300,000,000 Reserve fund holding

♦ $836,000,000 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Appropriation

**NOTE** The administration’s request for funding ($2.5 billion) was essentially the CDC funding and the NIH funding combined.  The administration did not request anything beyond those funds above.  However, congress added funding for private health groups, private hospitals, private insurance groups, private labs, etc.  The $3.1 billion in the next section is appropriated to HHS to distribute to those private entities.

♦ $3.1 Billion Public Health and Social Services, Emergency Fund Appropriation (testing, diagnostics, therapeutics, etc)

• $100,000,000 Obamacare (primary care)
• $300,000,000 Obamacare (emergency fund)

♦ Department of State Appropriation:

• $264,000,000 State Dept. Diplomatic fund (outside U.S.)
• $435,000,000 Global Health and Economic Assistance (outside U.S.)
*$200,000,000 Global Health, Emergency Fund (outside U.S.)
• $300,000,000 International Disaster Assistance (outside U.S.)
• $250,000,000 Economic Support Fund (outside U.S.)
*$7,000,000 “Operating Expenses” (outside U.S.)
• $100,000,000 Worldwide Security Protection (Americans outside U.S.)

Summary (Rough Math):

♦♦ Approx. $5 billion appropriated on U.S. programs (federal and state).  Around $2.5 billion of that amount the administration requested for federal response (CDC and NIH) and state grants (CDC).  However, around $3 billion more was added by congress to fund private health sector response groups.

♦♦ Approx. $3 billion was appropriated in foreign aid (non Americans).  None of this was requested by the administration.  All of the foreign aid funds were appropriated solely by congress for various State Department “global initiatives.”  (sketchy funds)

♦♦ Approx. $500 Million General Administrative expenses. (All pork)

[You Can Read The Basic Text Here]

Foreign Aid Spent on Corona ~ Fuzzy needs & Fuzzy math