Biden administration to continue Covid-19 funding push when Congress returns
Also on top of the agenda: more aid for Ukraine. President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the US will send an additional $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine as the Russian invasion soon enters its third month in what US officials warn could be a potentially bloody new phase.
“As Congress returns from recess, the Administration will be focused on working with lawmakers to secure funds to keep aid flowing to the Ukrainian people, and continue protecting the American people from Covid-19,” the official said.
The official added, “Congressional inaction is already taking its toll — from uninsured Americans suddenly having to foot the bill for tests, treatments and vaccines, to states receiving fewer monoclonal antibodies to keep people out the hospital. Further inaction is unacceptable, and Congress must promptly provide us the funds we urgently need to protect the American people and abroad.”
The Biden administration has been sounding the alarm for weeks that additional funding is needed to continue the federal Covid-19 response, even as it seeks a return to “normal” with many pandemic-era restrictions lifting.
Concerns raised by officials include:
- A possible lack of adequate resources to purchase enough booster shots for all Americans if additional booster shots are authorized
- The possibility that monoclonal antibody treatments run out as soon as next month
- A scaled-back purchase of AstraZeneca’s preventative treatment
- Insufficient testing capacity and supply going forward
- Impacts to research and development
Impasse over Covid aid
The impasse before the Easter break came as Republicans demanded a vote on an immigration amendment to restore Title 42. Democrats objected, criticizing Republicans for what they called an eleventh-hour ask in a negotiation they had thought was final.
Still, Democratic leaders said a vote then on an amendment would have violated the agreement they thought they’d struck with Republicans. While a number of Democrats had said they would support standalone legislation reinstating Title 42 as long as a public health emergency exists in other parts of the government, even members who had opposed Biden’s action said they didn’t want to have the debate tied to Covid funding.
“We had a bipartisan agreement and unfortunately, because of an extraneous issue, we aren’t going to be able to get the 10 Republican votes we need to pass it,” Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan said…
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