Biden
admin seeks $30 billion more from Congress to fight COVID -sources
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[February 16, 2022]
By Jeff Mason, Marisa Taylor and Jarrett Renshaw
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Biden
administration is seeking $30 billion in additional funds from Congress
to fight the COVID-19 pandemic to bolster vaccines, treatments, testing
supply, and research, according to sources familiar with the matter.
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The $30 billion request includes $17.9 billion for vaccines and
therapeutics, two sources familiar with it said.
Administration officials and congressional staff have been in talks
about the issue, a Department of Health and Human Services
spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday.
“HHS leaders regularly engage with Congress about COVID resources,
and in a Tuesday conversation with congressional staff, HHS
discussed the status of COVID response funds as well as the need for
additional resources to support securing more lifesaving treatments
and vaccines, sustaining testing capacity, and investing in research
and development of next-generation vaccines," the spokesperson said.
"These resources would help us continue expanding the tools the
country needs to stay ahead of the virus and help us move toward the
time when COVID-19 will not disrupt our daily lives.”
Democratic President Joe Biden secured a $1.9 trillion "American
Rescue Plan" last year to fight the pandemic. But the Delta and
Omicron variants of the coronavirus, coupled with ongoing vaccine
hesitancy among a portion of the U.S. population, have fueled
coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths nationwide.
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"While we continue to have sufficient funds to respond to the
current Omicron surge in the coming weeks, our goal has always been
to ensure that we are well prepared to stay ahead of the virus,"
White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said.
The White House is eager to show progress on the pandemic ahead of
the Nov. 8 midterm elections, in which Republicans hope to take over
control of the House of Representatives and the Senate; Democrats
have a slim majority in the House and control the 50-50 Senate now,
with Vice President Kamala Harris holding a tie-breaking vote.
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![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Feb/16/images/ads/current/napa_lda_FILTERSALE_2022.png) The administration may face opposition from
Republicans and even some Democrats wary of
approving additional funding. Biden is also
struggling to pass pieces of his Build Back
Better climate and social spending bill, which
has stalled in the Senate because of opposition
from moderate members of his own party.
The new COVID funding package includes a
proposed $4.9 billion for testing, including
extending community testing, and continuing
development and manufacturing of at-home tests
aimed at new variants, according to documents
reviewed by Reuters.
Another estimated $3 billion is proposed for
reimbursing providers for testing, treatment and
vaccination of the uninsured and vaccination of
the underinsured. $3.7 billion would go to
developing vaccines that would protect against
future variants and half a billion dollars would
be aimed at programs for tracking diseases.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason, Marisa Taylor and
Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Leslie Adler,
Marguerita Choy and Jonathan Oatis)
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