Trump faces growing challenge to contain coronavirus | TheHill

There had been debate within the administration on the funding request and officials earlier in the day pushed back on initial reports that they would only seek $1 billion, which critics had said was a fairly small figure given the magnitude of the public health challenge.Democrats, though, quickly blasted the funding request, with House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita LoweyNita Sue LoweyWhite House asking Congress for .5 billion to fight coronavirus The Hill's 12:30 Report: Roger Stone gets over three years in prison; Brutal night for Bloomberg Three members of Congress endorse Bloomberg after raucous debate MORE (D-N.Y.) calling it "woefully insufficient."Democrats also ramped up their rhetoric on the administration's response on Monday night, with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck SchumerCharles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerWhite House asking Congress for .5 billion to fight coronavirus Hillicon Valley: Agencies play catch-up over TikTok security concerns | Senate Dems seek sanctions on Russia over new election meddling | Pentagon unveils AI principles Senate Democrats urge Trump administration to impose sanctions on Russia for election interference MORE (N.Y.) saying the details of the funding request showed Trump's "towering incompetence" in dealing with the virus.Adriane Casalotti, an official at the National Association of County and City Health Officials, said that at least $3.1 billion in new funding is needed, not including funds for vaccine development, and that more could be needed if the outbreak worsens.Trump in 2014 repeatedly tweeted about shutting down flights from Ebola-affected regions of Africa, and even alleged that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was refusing to admit that the virus was spreading faster than public health experts had said.“Ebola is much easier to transmit than the CDC and government representatives are admitting,” Trump tweeted at the time.