Overnight Health Care — COVID-19 funding in limbo

Welcome to Wednesday’s Overnight Health Care, where we’re following the latest moves on policy and news affecting your health. Subscribe here: thehill.com/newsletter-signup 

Unfortunate news for arachnophobes: extremely large spiders could soon be literally falling from the sky across much of the Eastern seaboard.  

House Democrats removed from the omnibus funding bill a deal for $15.6 billion in COVID relief funding, after some members objected to how it was paid for.  

For The Hill, we’re Peter Sullivan (psullivan@thehill.com), Nathaniel Weixel (nweixel@thehill.com), and Joseph Choi (jchoi@thehill.com). Write to us with tips and feedback, and follow us on Twitter: @PeterSullivan4 @NateWeixel and @JosefChoi. 

Let’s get started. 

Dems yank relief after revolt by own members 

COVID-19 funding that the White House says is “urgent” for buying new treatments, developing next-generation vaccines and more is now in serious jeopardy after it was stripped out of the government funding bill. 

Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiHouse to vote Tuesday on Russian fuel ban, other trade sanctions House to move forward with bill to ban Russian oil Live coverage – House tees up vote on Russian fuel ban, sanctions MORE (D-Calif.) confirmed the news in a “Dear Colleague” letter on Wednesday afternoon, largely blaming Republicans for the impasse that sparked the stunning last-minute revision to the larger spending package.  

“Because of Republican insistence — and the resistance by a number of our Members to making those offsets — we will go back to the Rules Committee to remove COVID funding and accommodate the revised bill,” she wrote. “We must proceed with the omnibus today, which includes emergency funding for Ukraine and urgent funding to meet the needs of America’s families.” 

“It is heartbreaking to remove the COVID funding, and we must continue to fight for urgently needed COVID assistance,” she continued, “but unfortunately that will not be included in this bill.” 

Pelosi placed the blame largely on Republicans, but it was irate members of her own caucus who ultimately forced her hand.  

The dispute: The move came after a tumultuous morning of internal talks between Pelosi, leaders of the Appropriations Committee and other key panels, and a number of lawmakers who were up in arms that the $1.5 trillion omnibus spending package — released just hours earlier — proposed to offset $15.6 billion in new COVID-19 spending by clawing back unspent money sent to certain states as part of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill signed by President BidenJoe BidenBiden phones family of American detained in Russia Susan Collins praises Biden’s Supreme Court pick after meeting Former Bernie Sanders press secretary: proposed defense budget includes excessive amount for private contractors MORE one year ago. 

It was lawmakers from those states who threatened to block passage of the omnibus unless the clawback provision was removed.  

Read more here. 

Pfizer begins antiviral treatment trials on kids

Pfizer on Wednesday announced it has begun the Phase 2 and 3 stages of its study into the use of its antiviral COVID-19…