U.S. Congresswoman Cindy Axne

Congress is seeking to pass a multi-billion dollar supplemental spending bill to respond to the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., which Representative Cindy Axne (D) says is a top priority this week.

Congresswoman Axne voted with a bipartisan majority in the House Wednesday to pass the the funding package, which now heads to the Senate. One roadblock to getting the bill on the House floor was language on the price for an eventual vaccine. Axne feels a vaccine for the virus should be made accessible and affordable for all Americans, “It’s going to be awhile until we get some type of vaccine available, so we’re going to have to continue to press towards supporting anybody who’s been impacted by this because right now we’re seeing insurance companies that are sending folks bills apparently on the west coast for testing for that. And these folks can’t afford it so we’ve got to ensure that we can make sure that every single person can afford a vaccine. This is not something that should be determined on how much money you make.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most people in the U.S. have little immediate risk of exposure to the virus, though current global circumstances suggest the likelihood of the virus causing a pandemic. To hear more from Axne on this and other issues, listen to today’s Let’s Talk Guthrie County program on air and at raccoonvalleyradio.com.