House Democrat doubtful of more flu money now
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June 5, 2009 by fluoutbreak
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Wednesday said President Barack Obama may not get the extra $2 billion he requested to combat the H1N1 flu strain that has infected thousands of Americans.
A pending war funding bill that has already passed the House of Representatives included $2 billion while the Senate version had $1.5 billion.
Lawmakers are trying to resolve their differences but Hoyer was skeptical that more flu funds would be added for now.
“If … that’s insufficient there’s obviously an opportunity to pass an additional supplemental” funding bill later, Hoyer told reporters. “We want to make sure that we have the funds necessary to respond to this pandemic.”
In addition to seeking the extra $2 billion, the White House also complained that neither the House nor Senate bills provide the administration enough flexibility to respond to the outbreak of the flu virus.
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