WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has told Congress it needs an additional $30 billion to continue the fight against COVID-19, officials said Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has told Congress it needs an additional $30 billion to continue the fight against COVID-19, officials said Tuesday.
Two people familiar with the administration’s plan confirmed key details: $17.9 billion for vaccines and treatments, $4.9 billion for testing, $3 billion to cover coronavirus care for the uninsured and $3.7 billion to prepare for future variants. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss deliberations between the administration and lawmakers on the additional funding.
Separately, Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri told reporters he had spoken with Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, and that “I think they’re going to come up with an additional $30 billion.” .
White House press secretary Jen Psaki spoke of the need for more money without specifying the amount sought.
“While we continue to have sufficient funds to respond to the current omicron surge in the coming weeks, our focus has always been to ensure we are well prepared to stay ahead of the virus,” she said.
According to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Congress has already approved $5.8 trillion to fight the pandemic c in a series of major bills spanning the Trump and Biden administrations. That doesn’t count the actions of the Federal Reserve to help keep the economy going.
PSAKI said most of the money for President Joe Biden’s 2021 coronavirus relief bill has been spent or allocated, with 90% going to priorities such as vaccines, testing and support for schools. .
It’s unclear how the new request for additional funding will play out in Congress. Republicans would like to see more COVID-19 relief for businesses still struggling with the pandemic, while progressive Democrats want a major effort to vaccinate the rest of the world.
Blunt said the senators asked the administration how the other COVID-19 dollars were spent, “and frankly, in the categories they’re asking for money for, the other funds were all spent or committed.” .
Humanitarian groups, along with dozens of Democratic lawmakers, have pressured White House Biden and key congressional committee leaders to provide billions of dollars to global vaccine efforts. They argue this will help ward off another coronavirus variant that could circle the globe with deadly consequences.
As vaccine doses begin to become more plentiful, the infrastructure to put vaccines into weapons remains inadequate in many poor countries. This leads to vaccine waste, advocates say.
“Dose production is increasing, but there hasn’t been an incremental investment in the health care system to get those doses into the arms,” said Rachel Hall, who leads the US government’s advocacy group for the group. aid CARE, in a recent interview. “We are about to see a global mess because we haven’t invested in the delivery system.”
According to a CARE analysis, 32 of 92 low-income countries that receive vaccine donations have used less than half of the doses delivered. Among them are Nigeria, which used 34% of the doses delivered, Afghanistan, 46%, and Haiti, 39%.
PSAKI acknowledged the problem during Tuesday’s White House briefing. “A big part of our efforts right now, and where we’ve seen challenges, is turning vaccines into vaccinations,” she said. The logistics involve “hyperlocal issues,” she said.
The administration’s plan to ask for more money was first reported by Axios.
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Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report.
Zeke Miller and Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar, The Associated Press