Congress reaches $10 billion deal in additional COVID-19 funding
Lawmakers in Congress reached a deal on Monday for an additional $10 billion in COVID funding, after nearly a month of contentious back-and-forth negotiations between Democrats and Republicans and increasing pressure from the White House to approve of the money.
The agreement comes as the White House has clamored for additional resources in the fight against COVID-19, but Monday's $10 billion deal falls well short of the amount President Joe Biden has said is needed.
Biden had called for $22.5 billion in immediate emergency funds and warned that there would be severe consequences for congressional inaction.
"If we fail to invest, we leave ourselves vulnerable if another wave of the virus hits," Biden said.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said under Monday's agreement, Congress would redirect $10 billion in unspent funds from the American Rescue Plan for "urgent COVID needs and therapeutics."
Using the previously earmarked but unspent funding was a key sticking point for Republicans in the negotiations, Romney said in a prepared statement. Half of the funding will go toward researching, developing and producing COVID-19 treatments.
The additional funding also comes as the nation's COVID rates and hospitalizations have fallen, and local and state governments have done away with mask mandates.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration is grateful for the Senate’s work even though the deal is a smaller amount than sought. She said the White House urges Congress to “move promptly” on the $10 billion package “as we currently run the risk of not having some critical tools like treatments and tests starting in May and June.”
“Every dollar we requested is essential and we will continue to work with Congress to get all of the funding we need,” Psaki said. “But time is of the essence.”
Romney said last week that lawmakers reached an "agreement in principle" to cover the new COVID needs by using funds from earlier pandemic stimulus legislation.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, said on the Senate floor that lawmakers were “getting close to a final agreement that would garner bipartisan support.”
The $10 billion will not include funding for global pandemic aid due to disagreement among lawmakers on how to pay for it. Romney said he is "willing to explore a fiscally-responsible solution to support global efforts in the weeks ahead."
Lawmakers unsuccessfully tried to include $15 billion in COVID funding in a government spending package last month.
Contributing: Joey Garrison
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID-19 funding: Congress to supply $10 billion to battle pandemic
