WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump will donate his quarterly salary to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham made the announcement Tuesday, saying that the $100,000 donation is being made to support the efforts to confront, contain and combat COVID-19, the disease brought on by the new coronavirus.
President @realDonaldTrump made a commitment to donate his salary while in office. Honoring that promise and to further protect the American people, he is donating his 2019 Q4 salary to @HHSGov to support the efforts being undertaken to confront, contain, and combat #Coronavirus . pic.twitter.com/R6KUQmBRl1
— Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) March 3, 2020
Trump pledged to donate his presidential salary when he took office. Since then, he has donated it to various government agencies over his past three years in office.
Previous recipients of the money include the departments of transportation, homeland security, and veteran affairs.
Meanwhile, lawmakers are finalizing a $7.5 billion emergency bill to fund the government's response to the coronavirus outbreak in a burst of bipartisan cooperation.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, a critic of Trump's handling of the spreading crisis, says he's expecting a bipartisan deal among lawmakers on the House and Senate Appropriations committees later Tuesday in hopes of clearing the measure through Congress by week's end.
The $7.5 billion package would triple Trump's request but is expected to enjoy support from both the White House and Trump's GOP allies on Capitol Hill.
Schumer said “when it comes to Americans’ health and safety, there is no reason to be penny-wise and pound-foolish."
As of Tuesday, nine people have died from the virus in the United States, all of which have been reported in Washington state. Many had been residents of a Seattle area nursing home.
