The federal government is reportedly stopping its free at-home COVID-19 test program this week due to a shortage of funds and measures to maintain supply before an anticipated autumn rise in cases, according to media reports citing a White House official.
Both the White House and the website where individuals can claim their free tests accused Congress of failing to give more financing for the initiative, which has offered up to 16 COVID-19 Free Test Kits per family since the year's beginning.
The Covid.gov website states that "Ordering through this program will be suspended on Friday, September 2" since Congress has not provided sufficient cash to replenish the country's inventory of testing kits.
A surge of Omicron variant cases and a lack of testing options led to the administration's January launch of the project, which distributed quick tests to Americans via the US Postal Service. However, officials have been warning for months that the government would be forced to slow down its COVID-19 response efforts in the absence of more financing from Congress.
The official from the White House told CNN that Biden administration officials warned that "Congressional inaction would force unacceptable tradeoffs" and impair overall COVID-19 readiness and response-and that the implications would likely get worse eventually.
"Unfortunately, because of the limited funding we have to work with, we have had to make impossible choices about which tools and programs to invest in-and which ones we must downsize, pause, or end all together," the official claimed.
Many Americans Possibly Reinfected
Fewer persons are testing for the coronavirus, and more are thought to have had it without being certain. Specialists believe that at this stage of the epidemic, many Americans have been reinfected, according to NBC News.
The president's chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has stated that he thinks COVID-19 in the US will be a seasonal occurrence, similar to influenza.
Read Also : White House Hits Back at Critics of Joe Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness with Epic Twitter Thread
The majority of Americans would still be able to receive COVID-19 Free Test Kits or reimbursement through private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid even after the distribution was stopped on Friday.
Through its COVID-19 test website, the federal government has disseminated an estimated 600 million tests. It was not immediately known how many were still in the inventory.
The White House requested an extra $22.5 billion in financing from Congress for COVID-19 relief efforts in March, stating that without it, it would be impossible to maintain testing capacity.
However, the funding, which the Biden administration also intended to use for research and treatments, was not approved due to a deadlock.
Republican Congressmen Plan To Investigate Biden Administration's COVID-19 Response
The Wall Street Journal reports that if House Republicans win power next year, they are preparing extensive probes of the Biden administration. An emerging pro-Trump faction is pressuring GOP leadership to pursue a vigorous strategy when the new Congress convenes.
Lawmakers said planned inquiries would center on the southern border, where authorities made a record 1.82 million arrests since Oct. 1; President Biden's son Hunter's international business transactions; and the origins of the COVID-19 virus and pandemic policies that shut down workplaces.
Related Article: Sen. Lindsey Graham Predicts Riots in US Streets If Former President Donald Trump is Prosecuted Over Classified Documents
