Topline
The National Governors Association urged Congress and the Biden Administration to extend Covid-19 response funding on Tuesday, just hours before the federal government is set to stop reimbursing uninsured Americans for free tests and treatments.
From left, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy speak outside the White … [+]
Key Facts
National Governors Association Chair Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.) and Vice-Chair Gov. Phil Murphy (D-N.J.) asked Congress and the White House to cooperate to ensure states will have enough resources to continue their pandemic response.
The National Governors Association also called on the federal government to maintain its current commitments to a $350 billion program created last year that distributes money to state and local governments to offset the pandemic’s impacts on families, businesses and public services, as some lawmakers suggest using unspent funds from the program to cover other Covid response needs.
Due to funding cuts, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Covid-19 Uninsured Program plans to stop accepting reimbursement claims for Covid testing and treatment at the end of Wednesday, and will stop accepting claims for vaccines at the end of April 5.
The White House plans to reduce provisions of monoclonal antibody treatments to states by 30% this week, and on March 15 announced it had canceled a planned late March delivery of the treatments due to inadequate funding.
The federal government was also forced to scale back a planned purchase of preventative treatments for immunocompromised people, and expects to run low on the treatments by the end of the year because they take over 6 months to produce, the White House announced March 15.
Key Background
The Biden Administration’s $22.5 billion plan to increase Covid test production and improve surveillance for new virus variants during 2022 has not passed in Congress, after Republicans demanded the White House run the program using only existing funds. The White House has blamed its faltering Covid funding on congressional inaction, and the National Governors Association asked Congress and the administration to work together to avert the potential consequences of not having enough vaccines and treatments on hand. The White House argues if Congress does not approve funding before the next Covid surge, it will put immunocompromised people at risk, stunt the U.S.’s ability to identify new variants and damage global vaccination efforts, which will in turn create a possible breeding ground for deadlier variants.
Big Number
114 million. That’s roughly how many people in the U.S. are not yet fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Crucial Quote
“We need to have this money,” White House coronavirus coordinator Jeffrey D. Zients told the New York Times. “This is not nice to have; this is need to have.”
Further Reading
“White House Covid-19 Funds Running Out — Here’s What That Means For Treatments, Tests And Vaccines” (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharysmith/2022/03/22/bipartisan-governors-urge-white-house-to-spend-more-as-covid-funds-dry-up/