Republicans Must Join with Democrats to Pass Funding Vital for Continuing the Fight Against COVID-19
Earlier this month, the GOP tanked a $10 billion package which would have allowed the government to purchase vaccines, boosters, therapeutics, and tests – tools vital for continuing our fight against COVID-19. They did this so they could pick a blatantly political fight in an attempt to hurt the Biden administration.
The country is already feeling the impact of the lack of funding. We will soon run out of treatments and tests, and leave ourselves unprepared for future variants and surges. Congress must work to approve this necessary funding, without partisan games, in order to continue the progress we’ve made and prepare for the future.
Tools We Need To End This Pandemic
Treatments. On our current trajectory, the U.S. could face a potential shortage of treatments, including monoclonal antibodies, oral antiviral pills, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Funding to treat uninsured individuals is already depleted. This cannot stand. Funding must be provided to avoid rationing, bidding wars, and inequitable distribution of these lifesaving resources. If funding is not provided immediately:
- By May, the U.S. will be out of monoclonal antibody treatments, which need to be ordered months in advance.
- By July, Americans will have no access to PrEP, a lifesaving drug used to prevent infection for our immunocompromised friends and neighbors who do not have sufficient protection against COVID-19. Funding must be provided in March to avoid shortages over the summer.
- By September, Americans will be unable to access oral antivirals, like paxlovid. Additional treatments must be ordered significantly in advance, or Americans could be facing a fall without access to these lifesaving drugs.
Tools We Need To Be Prepared In The Future
Testing. We all remember the days when at-home tests were hard to find and testing site lines wound around the block. The U.S. needs to maintain and expand domestic manufacturing of tests today and in the future, but without additional funding, this will be impossible and Americans will see a drastic reduction in testing capacity. Reimbursement for testing uninsured individuals has already been halted due to lack of funds. If funding is not provided immediately:
- By June, America’s domestic testing capacity will be significantly diminished as the government will be unable to continue helping domestic manufacturers.
Reimbursement For The Uninsured. On March 22nd, funding to reimburse health care providers for uninsured testing and COVID treatment ran out, and vaccine administration funds were depleted on April 5th. For the roughly 30 million Americans without insurance, COVID testing, treatment, and prevention may now be out of reach. This funding had served as a lifeline to millions of American families that would have otherwise had to make impossible decisions between paying their medical bills or putting food on the table.
Planning Ahead. It is the investments in groundbreaking research and preparedness that are leading Americans out of this pandemic and we cannot turn back now. Without additional funding, we simply cannot afford to continue the research and development that will provide the pan-COVID vaccines to protect us against the next variant or next pandemic.