White House Sends $2.5 Billion Emergency Coronavirus Request to Congress

White House Sends $2.5 Billion Emergency Coronavirus Request to Congress
US President Donald Trump waves upon arrival at Palam Air Force Base in New Delhi on Feb. 24, 2020. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
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The White House on Feb. 24 sent a $2.5 billion supplemental budget request to Congress as part of an urgent plan to combat the deadly outbreak of the new coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19.

The money would be used for therapeutics and personal protective equipment such as masks, with some $1 billion or more to be directed toward vaccine development, the White House said.