Vox Sentences - A $10 billion Covid package

Senators agree to $10 billion in Covid-19 funding but drop global aid; Sri Lanka faces political instability in a historic economic crisis.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

A $10 billion Covid package leaves a lot out

Ebrahim Hamid/AFP via Getty Images

• On Monday, Senate Democrats and Republicans reached a deal to authorize $10 billion in domestic Covid-19 funding, ending weeks of negotiations. [USA Today / Rick Rouan and Mabinty Quarshie]
• The deal, brokered by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Mitt Romney (R-UT), includes $9.25 billion for vaccines and testing with at least $5 billion earmarked for therapeutics like anti-Covid pills. An additional $750 million is provided for research into future variants.  [NPR / Susan Davis]
• The Biden administration had requested $22 billion to prepare for the possibility of another surge like the one Europe’s currently facing. Republicans opposed that number. They’ve agreed to the $10 billion because it redirects unspent money from prior Covid-19 relief packages. [CNBC / Spencer Kimball]
• Democrats so far have been forced to give up on one of their priorities, funding for international pandemic assistance. Public health experts worry more variants will arise without more US funding for the global vaccination campaign. [Washington Post / Dan Diamond and Rachel Roubein]
• Lawmakers hope to pass the package this week before a recess. Senate Democrats are also hoping to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown-Jackson for the Supreme Court this week, complicating those plans. [New York Times / Emily Cochrane, Alexandra E. Petri, and Aina J. Khan]

Sri Lanka faces a worsening political and economic crisis

• Sri Lankan lawmakers called for an interim government to prevent the country from falling into chaos on Tuesday, amid widespread protests over its worst economic crisis in years, which have prompted calls for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign. [Associated Press / Bharatha Mallawarachi and Eranga Jayawardena]
• Steep tax cuts, global inflation, the pandemic, and a sharp decline in tourism have hurt the country’s economy. The island is also saddled with debt and running out of foreign currency, which means the government cannot pay for imported goods like food and medicine. [Deutsche Welle]
• Sri Lanka is also dealing with fuel shortages and hours-long power cuts that have angered residents. [Reuters / Uditha Jayasinghe and Devjyot Ghoshal]
• In recent days, protesters have demanded the government’s resignation. Rajapaksa’s cabinet resigned, but the president and his brother, the prime minister, refused to step down so far. The Rajapaksa family has been in power for decades and has used heavy-handed tactics to control unrest in the past. [NYT / Skandha Gunasekara and Emily Schmall]
• 40 ministers from parties close to Rajapaksa’s government have left the majority. If Rajapaksa’s government falls into the minority, the opposition could challenge his authority to control parliament. [BBC]

The Biden administration will extend the moratorium on federal student loan repayments through August 31. [Politico / Eugene Daniels and Michael Stratford]

• The EU has proposed additional sanctions, including an import ban on Russian coal and ships, in response to reports of war crimes against Ukrainians in the outskirts of Kyiv. [BBC / Jessica Parker]
• Far-right Hungarian prime minister and Putin ally Viktor Orban won reelection on Sunday, posing challenges for the European Union. [CNN / Rob Picheta and Balint Bard]
• The Oklahoma state House approved a bill making abortions illegal except in cases where the mother’s life is at risk. [AP / Sean Murphy]

“Without global vaccination funding, we are simply not tackling the problem of Covid”

[Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, criticizing the latest Covid funding package on Twitter]

Shiny chrome legs, elegant caned seat, rich birch wood — Instagram’s current “it” chair has been in style for nearly 100 years, actually. [YouTube]

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