The White House announced Thursday that it would once again offer free at-home COVID-19 tests for those who request them through the United States Postal Service.
The move comes as part of a push campaign by the Biden administration to head off a possible rise in coronavirus cases as winter settles in. Households can order up to four free tests, according to the COVID.gov website.
Tests will start to ship out the week of Dec. 19, according to the administration.
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Biden administration officials first announced free rapid COVID-19 test kits in January, at the height of the omicron variant wave. When funding fell short in the fall, the White House halted the program.
“If Congress provides funding, we will expeditiously resume distribution of free tests through covidtests.gov,” an official said at the time, adding that “until then, we believe reserving the remaining tests for distribution later this year is the best course.”
More than 600 million tests were distributed by the time the program ended in September 2021. Another 500 million went unclaimed, according to reports.
Funding for the tests will come from leftover American Rescue Plan money, according to a senior administration official
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President Joe Biden has requested $10 billion in COVID-19 emergency money as part of the year’s government funding bill. But, if history shows anything, the GOP is unlikely to include it in a final bill.
Lawmakers are currently mulling a one-week continuing resolution to ward off a shutdown on Friday.
The Biden administration continues to warn that the U.S. could face another wave of infections as the winter weather approaches and families prepare to travel more for the holiday season.
