Biden to sign budget bill with Ukraine aid but no virus cash
ABC News
President Joe Biden on Tuesday is set to sign a bill providing Ukraine with $13.6 billion in additional military and humanitarian aid as part of a $1.5 trillion measure funding the U.S. government for the year
WASHINGTON -- President Joe Biden on Tuesday is set to sign a bill providing $13.6 billion in additional military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine as part of a $1.5 trillion government spending measure that omits COVID-19 aid the White House says is urgently needed.
The COVID spending was a casualty of negotiations over the larger government bill. The White House had asked for $22.5 billion for vaccines and treatment, but that was trimmed during talks to $15.6 billion and ultimately dropped altogether as rank-and-file Democrats rebelled against proposed cuts in state aid to pay for the new spending.
In a Tuesday call with governors, White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients highlighted “severe consequences" that the lack of additional funding would have on the nation's response, including federal support for states, according to an administration official.
The White House says that without additional funding, the federal government will stop accepting new claims next week for treating uninsured people for COVID-19 and that state allocations of life-saving monoclonal antibody treatments will be slashed by 30% to prolong their supply. The administration says it also needs more money to purchase more antiviral pills and prophylactic treatments for people who are immunocompromised, as well as to buy more vaccine doses in the event regulators recommend additional booster shots or a variant-specific booster, should one arise.
