It was a mistake for Democrats to strip $15.6 billion of proposed COVID-19 spending from a government funding bill passed by the House before a possible shutdown Friday, according to the White House.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the provisions would have helped bolster the country’s testing capacity, which will start to decline this month. Free testing and treatment for uninsured members of the public will end in April, for example.
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“We need this money, so without additional resources from Congress, the results are dire,” she told reporters Thursday. “Failing to take actions now will have severe consequences for American people.”
The White House was reportedly annoyed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to yank the COVID-19 funding from the $1.5 trillion omnibus bill. Pelosi defended the move, referring to the urgent requirement for $13.6 billion in emergency Ukrainian humanitarian aid and security assistance. President Joe Biden’s administration has also been operating under former President Donald Trump’s level of spending.
Republicans, too, opposed the pandemic budget line, demanding accounting for previously doled-out cash, including through last year’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.
Negotiations to avoid a government shutdown coincided with disappointing inflation figures. Consumer prices increased 7.9% in the 12 months ending in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“We do anticipate that gas prices and energy prices will go up … but we also believe it’ll be temporary and not long-lasting,” Psaki said Thursday.
Psaki insisted Russian President Vladimir Putin was partly responsible for the rising cost of living.
“Yes, it is accurate that the invasion by President Putin into Ukraine has impacted global inflation,” she said.
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“Well, we’ve seen the price of gas go up at least 75 cents since President Putin lined up troops on the border of Ukraine,” she added.
