White House officials express their concerns about potential coronavirus surges after COVID-19 relief funding was scrapped from the massive government spending plan.
Authorities warn that aspects of the federal COVID-19 response will be affected due to the omission of the provision. During a call with reporters, Biden administration officials spoke in dire terms, and they sent a letter to Congressional leaders on Tuesday warning of the consequences.
COVID-19 Relief Fund
The recent warnings from officials mark the latest escalation in pressure from the Biden administration prior to key funding deadlines. Initially, COVID-19 relief funds were included in a recent omnibus spending package but were removed after Democratic complaints of how the spending would be offset.
United States President Joe Biden's administration had previously requested $22.5 billion in supplemental COVID-19 relief funding to be included in the government funding package. Later on, negotiators proposed a scaled-back $15.6 billion provision. Democrats have opted to propose a standalone COVID-19 relief bill after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the removal of the provision from the bill, which passed last week, as per CNN.
One senior Biden administration official said on Tuesday that the White House would give Congress the responsibility of getting the details on how to provide the COVID-19 relief fund. They added that there was bipartisan recognition that the United States needs the money and that the funds were already spent last year.
However, top appropriators on Capitol Hill pointed the finger back at the Biden administration, saying that they did not make a convincing enough case to win over Republican lawmakers to their side. Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama said that there were doubts that the money was needed and would be used in what Democrats planned it for.
According to Politico, even some GOP members who were supportive of the bill initially have expressed concerns about the consequences of the money running out if the Biden administration fails to do enough. Sen. Roy Blunt, the Senate's top Republican in charge of healthcare spending, said that he supported the replenishment of the accounts.
Consequences of Losing Funding
However, the official noted that it was the responsibility of Democrats to make their case and show officials how needed the COVID-19 relief funding is and how long it will last. He said that if he were presented with those facts, he would be able to advocate for the amount of money the Biden administration was looking for.
The letter sent by Biden administration officials to Congress included concerns of the possibility of future variants as the number of new infections in recent weeks has dwindled. The White House also noted that vaccine shortages would be even more severe if medical professionals became in need of a variant-specific booster vaccine.
Another official warned of the probability of a coronavirus infection surge in the coming months, similar to what other countries are experiencing now. In a statement, Pfizer CEO Dr. Albert Bourla echoed concerns about the coronavirus variants in an interview this week. He said the new strains coming is a likely scenario and that the US should make ways to outsmart the virus and be ahead of it, Yahoo Finance reported.
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