Axe falling on US virus-fighting funds

WASHINGTON－This could be the end of the line for US congressional funding to fight COVID-19.

What started a month ago as a $30 billion request from the White House to prepare for the next phase of the pandemic has been progressively slashed on Capitol Hill.

The end result on Wednesday was a $15.6 billion package prepared by Democrats in the House of Representatives that has almost no chance of passing in the evenly divided Senate, where Republicans have indicated they are unwilling to provide more money without cuts elsewhere or a full accounting from President Joe Biden's administration of already approved virus funding.

That means it is highly likely that no new federal money will be readily approved to fight COVID-19 as the pandemic moves to what many officials are now calling the endemic stage.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the turn of events "heartbreaking".

The idea had been to add Biden's request for new virus aid to the massive $1.5 trillion spending bill, a must-pass measure needed by the end of the week to keep the federal government operating through the end of the fiscal year.

Biden's initial $30 billion request was reduced to $22 billion when the administration submitted it to Congress, as the White House warned the United States will soon begin to run out of money to bolster COVID-19 testing supplies and to guarantee that uninsured US citizens will continue to receive free treatment for the virus.

Dire situation

But as Democrats and Republicans negotiated on Capitol Hill, the final COVID-19 funding package was slashed further to $15.6 billion as part of the broader budget deal. Most of the money would have gone to increasing US supplies of vaccines, treatments and tests and battling the disease around the world.

A White House official said on Wednesday that without COVID-19 resources, the situation will be "dire" for people in the US. The official was granted anonymity to discuss the situation.

As part of the deal, Republicans insisted that the $15.6 billion COVID-19 aid package be fully paid for, offset by repurposing untapped virus aid that has been promised to the states. Dozens of Democrats counting on that money indicated their opposition to what was seen as an unfair swap.

Pelosi had no choice but to abandon the plan. Instead, the Democratic leader pushed forward a standalone COVID-19 bill that does not rely on the offsetting funds, a strategy that ensures more party support but is certain to lose Republican backing. A planned Wednesday vote was postponed until next week.

Pelosi's compromise backfired as rank-and-file Democrats revolted on Wednesday over the final product.

If approved, the package would face an uncertain outcome in the Senate, where Republicans have made it clear they are unlikely to back any new pandemic aid unless the previously approved funds are spent.

Agencies Via Xinhua