As number of veterans testing positive for coronavirus increases, department set to ask for $16 billion to fight pandemic

(Image credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

published 17 March 2020

The Department of Veterans Affairs is set to ask Congress for an additional $16.6 billion to help fight coronavirus, Roll Call reports.

VA spokesperson Christina Mandreucci said the agency was still finalizing its request, but multiple congressional aides confirmed the plans as the White House gears up for a pandemic response package that is expected to top $850 billion.

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Overall, the VA is the United States' largest integrated health system, serving 9 million veterans at 1,255 facilities. Providing care for veterans is the department's primary mission, but it's also meant to serve as a backup for private-sector hospitals in times of crisis, like the U.S. health care system is about to face because of the coronavirus. However, the funding request, an aide told Roll Call, is only focused on veteran care.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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