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Firm Linked to Trump’s Sons Got Nearly $40 Million in Federal Contracts to Screen for Ebola and Other Diseases
XpresTest, a disease-screening company whose parent received an investment from a firm linked to Donald Trump’s elder sons, was awarded nearly $40 million in federal contracts. The deals cover Ebola screening at US airports and outbreak response in the Democratic Republic of Congo, raising questions about the company’s readiness and the role of the president’s family’s business connections.
The State Department awarded XpresTest $20 million and the CDC awarded it $18.8 million; together, the contracts are seven times the value of its previous direct government contracts. XpresTest has screened for COVID-19 and other diseases at US airports, but has no Ebola or overseas biosecurity experience. Its chief executive said the international work is new and described the Congo contract as risky, while the State Department said its award followed a competitive process.
In short
- XpresTest received nearly $40 million for disease-screening work.
- The Congo contract would take the company into overseas outbreak response.
- Its chief executive acknowledged the work is new and risky.
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The case for
The awards could be defended as a practical use of a company already screening travellers at US airports, with the State Department saying it selected XpresTest through competition. A new contract can expand a firm’s capabilities, and responding to outbreaks may require taking on unfamiliar work; the company’s willingness to accept a risky assignment could help meet urgent public-health needs.
The case against
The scale and specialised nature of the work make relevant experience and readiness important, yet XpresTest had no Ebola or overseas biosecurity record and the awards greatly exceeded its previous direct federal contracts. Given the investment link to the president’s sons, scrutiny of the selection process and safeguards against favouritism is reasonable, even without evidence in the report that the connection affected the awards.
Explained simply
Ebola is a serious infectious disease that can spread through contact with bodily fluids. US agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) monitor health risks at airports and support responses to outbreaks overseas; the State Department also funds some international health work.
XpresTest is a disease-screening company that has carried out COVID-19 and other checks at US airports. Its parent company received an investment from a firm linked to Donald Trump’s elder sons, and the contracts concern work in the United States and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Federal contracts are government agreements to pay companies for services. In this case, the company’s business connections and its limited experience with Ebola or overseas outbreak work are relevant to understanding scrutiny of the awards and how the work will be carried out.