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Biden Admin Diverting $2B From COVID-19, Health Spending To House Migrant Children At The Border

By • May 17, 2021 4:10 pm

The Biden administration has diverted more than $2 billion from congressionally-authorized programs for COVID-19 testing, emergency medical supplies, and other health-care needs to provide shelter for the 45,000 unaccompanied migrant children who have so far crossed the US’ southern border this year as the border crisis continues to spiral.

According to Politico, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) diverted $850 million from funds set aside for testing in the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill of President Joe Biden.

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According to HHS spokesman Mark Weber, Secretary Xavier Becerra pulled $850 million more out of a fund meant to replenish the Strategic National Stockpile for medical gloves, goggles, medicines, and ventilators, and another $436 million out of other health initiatives of the government.

Reports noted that such transfers are legal, as long as Congress is notified of the reallocations.

$2.3B to house illegal immigrant children

“In all, $2.13 billion have been poured into emergency shelters near the US-Mexico border, where kids have been crammed into jail-like ‘pods’ that allow for no social distancing,” Fox News said.

The news of fund reallocation for unaccompanied immigrant children apprehended at the border came just days after Becerra testified before a congressional committee and pleaded for another $905 million to replenish the pandemic stockpile, which had earlier run out and was reportedly not replenished by the former Obama administration — causing the Trump government to scramble on such health equipment at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

As news of the Biden administration’s move to divert billions of funds to fund the housing of illegal immigrant minors broke, Republicans blasted the Democratic leadership — and blamed Biden’s earlier executive orders rolling back former President Donald Trump’s stringent immigration policies which had border crossers kept at bay during the past four years.

“The President single-handedly created this crisis and is now misplacing billions in taxpayers’ money,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (New York) told The Post.

“The answer to every problem is not to throw money at it,” she added, lashing at Biden after visiting the border in April. 

“In this case, it’s simply rescinding his executive order, reinstating President Trump’s border protocols, and going after the cartels and smugglers.”

Meanwhile, soon after recruiting a former Biden aide, a Texas charity won two HHS no-bid contracts worth nearly $620 million to provide “emergency intake” programs for migrant children, according to Fox News.

The Biden administration has reportedly spent $3 billion to house unaccompanied children at the US’ southern border — as it continues to grapple with the unprecedented influx of migrants coming to the border each day.

According to the Associated Press, the government has awarded approximately $3 billion in contracts since February, with more than $2 billion in “no-bid” contracts going to three recipients.

These companies used to work as national disaster respondents and establish Covid-19 related-quarantine centers. However, as the United States has been dealing with record numbers of unaccompanied minors, they have begun to build shelters too.

Steeve Strange

Steeve is the CEO & Co-Founder of The Scoop.
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