Global COVID relief "critical" to U.S. national security, Coons says
CBSN
Washington — Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware said Sunday that additional funding to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide is "critical" to U.S. national security, as Congress remains in a standstill over providing supplemental pandemic relief.
"I think this is critical to our national security. We've already lost 1 million Americans," Coons said in an interview with "Face the Nation." "I think we can and should justify this additional spending as critical for our national security or as teaching our values, showing to each other the best in the human spirit and the most central tenets of the faith that inspires so many Americans."
President Biden called on Congress in March to approve an additional $22.5 billion in COVID-19 relief to continue vaccination and testing efforts in the U.S. and prepare for future variants, as well as to fund global efforts to combat the pandemic.
