Trump says federal government will spend $11 billion to boost state testing efforts

WASHINGTON, DC -- President Trump announced Monday that the federal government will begin distributing $11 billion from the latest relief bill to boost state testing efforts.

The funds will be allocated based on states’ population size and how heavily they have been impacted by the outbreak.

For weeks the White House has resisted calls to set specific testing goals or metrics. And President Trump has reiterated that governors are responsible for testing.

Administration officials said the federal government is providing states with enough supplies to meet their testing goals.

At a minimum, the White House wants all states testing at least 2% of their populations, though the administration has declined to elaborate on how that number was reached.

The U.S. is still struggling to increase testing to the levels that most public health experts say are essential to safely reopen offices, schools, churches, restaurants and other parts of the economy.

Last week, Harvard researchers projected that the nation must conduct 900,000 daily tests by May 15 to be able to track new cases and contain new flare ups. That’s more than three times the country’s current daily testing rate of about 275,000.