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Biden to Shift Covid Funds to Cover Costs for Kids at Border

  • U.S. to move $860 million from NIH for pandemic precautions
  • Covid containment has added $1.7 billion in costs to program
Migrants are apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents after crossing the Rio Grande in LaJoya, Texas.

Migrants are apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents after crossing the Rio Grande in LaJoya, Texas.

Photographer: Nicolo Filippo Rosso/Bloomberg
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plans to reallocate $860 million of funds appropriated to the National Institutes of Health to cover an increase in pandemic-related costs associated with unaccompanied children at the border.

Health Secretary Xavier Becerra notified members of Congress on Tuesday that the department would reallocate the funds to cover increased costs in ensuring the safety of children arriving at the Southwest border, as well as staff attending to them at shelters, according to a letter seen by Bloomberg News.