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While President Trump has repeatedly mused that the U.S. should slow down testing for the coronavirus as the surging case count has earned the United States the unenviable distinction as having the most reported cases in the world, he now appears to be acting to do just that.

Sources tell ABC News that the administration is proposing zeroing out funding for coronavirus testing and contact tracing, as well as funds for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health in a coronavirus relief package, as an opening offer in negotiations over the forthcoming relief package.

The president also announced Monday he would bring back the once-frequent coronavirus briefings, including leading them himself, likely as soon as Tuesday, after stopping them amid widespread criticism. The move came as an increasing number of states grappled with rising cases, hospitalizations and deaths and polls showed Americans increasingly disapprove of how he's handling the crisis.