White House: Congress must act soon to replenish COVID funds

By ZEKE MILLER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is warning that the U.S. will soon start running out of money to bolster COVID-19 testing supplies and to guarantee that uninsured Americans keep getting free treatment for the virus _ unless Congress swiftly approves more funding. Nearly a year after passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, the administration says the federal government has nearly depleted funding dedicated directly to COVID-19 response. It says more money from Congress is “urgent” to buy antibody treatments, preventive treatment for the immunocompromised and to fund community testing sites. Press secretary Jen Psaki says “this is what is at stake in our fight against COVID.”