White House seeks $65B to prepare for future pandemics in 'Apollo'-like effort
Eric Lander, the famed geneticist who now serves as the Biden administration’s top science advisor, unveiled a sweeping plan Friday to transform the US’ preparedness for future pandemics, drawing a parallel to the ambitious Apollo program that put the first humans on the moon.
The plan calls for $65 billion in spending over the next 7 to 10 years, including an immediate $15 billion ask in the current $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation efforts currently moving through Congress. Lander said the proposal would include funding for vaccine and drug development, as well as improving testing and pandemic detection systems.
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