Washington, D.C. – Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today announced Colorado will receive at least $9 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support efforts to combat the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) as part of the bipartisan, bicameral emergency supplemental appropriations bill released today. 

“The Trump Administration’s proposed $1.8 billion package was woefully inadequate, did not comprehensively address the scale of this crisis, and did not include essential funding for states to combat the coronavirus,” said Bennet. “The $8.3 billion package announced today provides at least $9 million for Colorado to support our state and local partners on the front lines of fighting this emerging public health crisis. Congress should swiftly approve this package so Colorado can have the resources it needs to respond to this rapidly-evolving outbreak.” 

The package includes a $9.3 million emergency grant from the CDC for Colorado and an additional $350 million for states requiring additional support. States will also be able to apply for reimbursement for actions they have already taken to combat the coronavirus. 

The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act is a $8.3 billion package to ensure that the federal government, states, and people on the front lines have the resources they need to prepare, prevent, and respond to the COVID-19 crisis. It includes:

• $2.2 billion to help federal, state, local, and tribal governments prevent, prepare, and respond to the crisis, including at least $9 million for Colorado through an Emergency CDC Grant;
• $3.1 billion for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, including funding for the Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority to develop COVID-19 countermeasures and vaccines and to purchase vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and necessary medical supplies;
• $836 million for the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease to support research of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics, including $10 million for worker-based training to prevent and reduce exposure of frontline workers;
• $61 million for the Food and Drug Administration to review and approve vaccines, enhance emergency use authorizations, and advance continuous manufacturing;
• $300 million in contingency funding for procurement of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics, requiring that they be available for purchase by the Federal government at a fair and reasonable price; and
• $1.25 billion to combat this public health threat overseas to prevent and respond to wider spread of the virus through United States Agency for International Development, International Disaster Assistance, and the Economic Support Fund.