The United States has never been better prepared to deal with an infectious disease like the coronavirus as, under Republicans, funding was increased for National Institutes of Health by 39%, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention by 24% and Infectious Disease Response by 70% since 2015.

Reports by Congressional Research Service shows that funds for NIH were increased by around 5% each year since 2016.

Reports by Congressional Research Service shows that funds for NIH were increased by around 5% each year since 2016.Budget reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the year Financial Year 2015 (Reference page-no 17) and Financial Year 2020 (Reference page-no: 23) shows annual funding of $11,117,194 for 2015 and $11,954,168 for 2020. So, since the Financial Year 2015 the funding has been increased by about 7.5%. (11,954\11,117*100= 107.52 107.52-100=7.52%).

A report by Congressional Research Service about National Institutes of Health(NIH) Funding FY1994-FY 2020 states that from Financial Year 2003 to Financial Year 2015, NIH funding was increased more gradually and from Financial Year 2016 through Financial Year 2020, the NIH has seen an increase of funding of over 5% each year. (Reference page-no: 6)

According to a report by the White House, the budget of the U.S. Government Fiscal Year 2020 includes $50 million within CDC to build up the Infectious Diseases Rapid Response. (Reference page-no: 51)

Therefore, the funding was not increased by 39% and 24% as claimed Kevin McCarthy but instead by 7.52% for NIH and over 5% for each year for CDC under Republicans. However, the U.S. Government Fiscal Year 2020 has created a budget of $50 million within CDC for the Infectious Diseases Rapid Response. But, there is an insufficient source to verify an increase of 70% in Infectious Disease Response since 2015.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.