White House: Congress must act soon to replenish COVID funds
WASHINGTON — The U.S. will soon begin to run out of money to bolster COVID-19 testing supplies and to guarantee that uninsured Americans keep getting free treatment for the virus unless Congress swiftly approves more funding, the White House warned Friday.
Nearly a year after passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, the administration says the federal government has nearly used up the money dedicated directly to COVID-19 response. More money from Congress is urgently needed to buy antibody treatments, preventative pills for the immunocompromised and to fund community testing sites, officials say.
“From the COVID side, the bank account is empty,” said COVID-19 deputy coordinator Natalie Quillian. “We’re in conversations with lawmakers about how to secure the funding, but it’s urgently needed.” Some of the consequences could be felt later this month.
The White House last month told Congress it was preparing to seek $30 billion for the virus response, but cut that to $22.5 billion in a formal request earlier this week that officials said includes only the most critical needs. It’s being coupled with a $10 billion request to provide support to Ukraine and its people after Russia’s invasion.
“This is an urgent request and this is what is at stake in our fight against COVID,” press secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday.
This month, the White House warns, COVID-19 testing manufacturers will begin to slow production of at-home rapid tests unless the federal government signs contracts to buy more. Officials say that could result in a supply crunch should there be another surge in cases.
They also said the Health Resources and Services Administration will be forced to begin winding down claims for COVID-19 treatment for uninsured people this month if Congress doesn’t provide more money. Moreover, the U.S. government supply of monoclonal antibodies would run out in May. And in July, supplies of the AstraZeneca prophylactic pill that can prevent serious illness in immunocompromised individuals would go dry. By September, the U.S. would run out of supplies of an oral antiviral pill.
“Given how costly COVID has been with so many of our fellow Americans hospitalized or dying, and our daily lives disrupted, we simply cannot afford to wait on investing now and keeping people protected,” said Psaki.
The request also includes funding to support U.S. vaccine purchases and global vaccine distribution.
The U.S. has enough shots of the Pfizer vaccine for children under age 5, should it be approved in the coming weeks. But if regulators make it a three-dose vaccine regimen, the administration would need more money to buy additional doses. The same would also be true if regulators determine that kids aged 5-11 should receive booster shots.
The White House emphasized that the federal government must sign contracts for drugs and vaccines months before they’re needed, so Congress must act now to prevent any gaps.
Some Republicans have expressed sticker shock at Biden’s request, pressing the administration to repurpose other relief funding that hasn’t been spent.
“Oh no, that’s too much,” Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Thursday when asked about the administration’s $22.5 billion request. “And secondly, we want to see how much money is out there” that hasn’t been spent yet from previously approved COVID-19 relief measures.