President Joe Biden has asked for millions in taxpayer dollars to go toward “pandemic preparedness” and “global health security,” even as the origins of COVID have come under scrutiny from lawmakers in recent days.
In his proposed budget for fiscal year 2024, Biden asks for $10.9 billion to go toward “global health and health security challenges.”
“This includes over $1.2 billion to prepare for, prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks — including by expanding U.S. bilateral partnerships with countries to improve health security capacity,” Biden’s proposed budget reads.
Included in this $1.2 billion is $500 million for “the Pandemic Fund” with the purpose of increasing preparation for a pandemic on a global scale. The Pandemic Fund is an international fund run by the World Bank, with funding from across the globe. The U.S. provides more money for the fund, which was launched in November 2022, than any other country.
Last year Biden…
