Photo: ROBYN BECK / AFP / Getty Images
The White House reported that next week it will begin to reduce a COVID-program 19 that pays to screen, treat and vaccinate people without health insurance, according to NPR.
It is one of the immediate impacts after Congress refused to add $19,500 Millions of dollars in funding for COVID programs of the government to the broad federal budget bill for government spending approved last week.
President Biden signed the federal budget bill into law Tuesday, calling it a bipartisan achievement without mentioning the underfunding of COVID-19.
The COVID-funding request 19 was met with political pushback from Republicans and concern from some lawmakers that the White House would not has fully explained how trillions in COVID money have been spent so far and what funds remain. Republicans in particular have been unwilling to agree to new spending for the program.
The White House warned in a letter to lawmakers Tuesday that The country runs the risk of being “surprised” by future variants of the coronavirus.
The White House warning comes amid indications that covid cases-18 are on the rise once again as states and businesses roll back mask and vaccination requirements.
Public health experts have warned that a sharp rise in cases in Europe driven by a new variant could herald things to come for United States.
“What we are asking for is a modest investment so as not to squandering the gains we’ve made over the last year,” said Natalie Quillian, deputy coordinator of the response team. response to COVID-19 from the White House.
The White House said that will have to reduce shipments of monoclonal antibody treatments to states by 30 % next week due to funding problems, and said the national supply of such treatments could run out in May.
Why did Congress defund Covid programs
Leaders of both parties in Congress initially agreed to include approximately $15 $1 billion in funding related to the COVID response as part of the $1.5 trillion-plus government spending package that Congress approved last week .
Several Democrats in the House of Representatives opposed that plan because even 30 states would lose access to funds allocated for COVID but not yet spent, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was forced to remove that funding from the broader package.
Democrats say they will try to pass a standalone COVID funding bill-19 in the coming days, but that plan is widely opposed by Republicans, which means there is little chance the measure can overcome a filibuster by the Senate GOP.
Republicans want the White House to provide a more detailed accounting of how the government spent the nearly $6 trillion in COVID-funding 19 that Congress has already approved. Republican lawmakers say they have not been given a accounting c lara of the funds.
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