Is COVID-19 Really Over? Joe Biden Requests $22 Billion in Pandemic Funding

House lawmakers are at the crossroads of passing the stopgap spending bill to avert a shutdown when current funds run out on September 30.

One of the critical problems that they need to address is President Joe Biden's request for $22.4 billion "to meet immediate short-term domestic needs" allegedly connected to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this week, Biden made the headlines after declaring that the pandemic was over, triggering a mountain of backlash from Republicans and even some Democrats and public health experts.

As lawmakers return to The Hill, one of the key problems they have to come together is Biden's differing public pronouncements and policies like the massive pandemic-related funding he is asking Congress.

Joe Biden Wants $22B COVID-19 Pandemic Funding

According to Blaze Media, House lawmakers are struggling to agree on whether to grant Joe Biden's $22.4 billion COVID-19 funding.

The aid, if Congress permits, would be for continuous COVID-19 testing, research and development of vaccines and therapeutics, preparation for possible variants, and support for the global pandemic response. In a press release, the White House said the government's COVID-19 response efforts continue to require additional funding.

It added that the lack of additional funding had prevented the government from adequately replenishing the national stockpile of at-home tests, suspending the sending of free test kits to Americans, and leaving domestic testing capacity diminished for a potential fall surge.

If the House does not have a final approval for the stopgap spending bill, the government will undergo a partial shutdown when the fiscal year ends on September 30.

According to the Washington Post, the Republicans seem to have been seizing on the apparent double standard and noting that the president's rhetoric contradicts his policies.

Joe Biden Declares COVID-19 Pandemic 'Is Over'

During his interview with CBS News' "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley that aired on Sunday, Joe Biden said the COVID-19 pandemic is over despite reports of two new Omicron variants on the rise.

His statements triggered a backlash from different sides, even from Democrats, who were struggling to get Republican support to push forward on Biden's funding request.

The Washington Post reported that some Republican lawmakers were reluctant to support the pandemic funding, especially after Biden's statement that the pandemic was over.

They noted that the COVID funding was not the highest priority. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre attempted to contextualize Biden's remark.

"Just to step back for a second... When he made those comments, he was walking through the Detroit car show, the halls of the Detroit car show, and he was looking around. We have to remember the last time they held that event was three years ago. We are in a different time. He's been very consistent about that," she said, attributing Biden's work as president to the improving COVID-19 pandemic.

Data from the New York Times show that the daily average of COVID-19 cases on September 21 is nearly 56,000. A Gallup survey also revealed that two-thirds of Americans expect a surge of new cases this fall.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Ivan Korrs

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