Obama Seeking $1.5 Billion for Response to Swine Flu

[seemslikeadream]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aEcJ9jY86fKY&refer=home

By Roger Runningen and Hans Nichols

April 28 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama is asking Congress for an additional $1.5 billion to respond to the swine flu outbreak that is spreading around the world.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama made the request today for money to help build anti-viral stockpiles, work on vaccines and coordinate the U.S. response with other governments. The money would be a supplemental appropriation to this year’s budget.

“This is about prudent planning,” Gibbs said at a White House briefing. The money is meant “to ensure we have the resources available” at the federal, state and local level to deal with any wider spread of the virus.

In a letter to congressional leaders and the senior members of the House and Senate committees that appropriate funds, Obama asked that the money be “provided with maximum flexibility to allow us to address this emerging situation.”

[provis99]

1. this seems like a knee-jerk reaction to a minor problem.

Other posts have pointed out that regular flu kills 35,000 a year in America: why the sudden fuss over a few swine flu cases?

[liberalmuse]

2. It's called, 'Preparedness'.

We really don't know what this flu is going to do in the next several months. It could get worse, or peter out and come back with a fury in the fall/winter. There are a lot of things to be concerned about regarding this flu. I'm glad the President is keeping that in mind. We have enough worries without a flu pandemic putting a further wrench in the global economy. The 1.5 billion will certainly help if it comes to that.

[doc03]

3. If it turns out to be nothing the Repugs will remind

us about the cost forever I suppose. If a few people do die from it they will say the president ignored the problem. :shrug: