Congress must find a path forward on COVID-19 relief funding

If we have learned anything from the past two years, it is that COVID-19 is not predictable. Case rates and severity ebb and flow with new variants, and this cycle shows no sign of ending. Although hospitalizations and deaths are declining, new COVID-19 cases have recently increased in about half of states, and many experts predict a fall surge. The situation is particularly concerning for those most at risk, including disabled people, older adults, low-income communities and communities of color, as mask mandates disappear amid a push for a so-called “return to normal.” Fortunately, we now have vaccines, tests and new treatments that can prevent illness, disability and even death. But these vital resources are only as effective as they are accessible — and Congress has just put them in limbo.

Congress adjourned for its spring recess this week before it was able to pass a supplemental COVID-19 funding relief package. This necessary relief is being held up based on the whims of several senators who want to attach an unrelated and harmful immigration policy to the bill. The bipartisan deal would provide $10 billion in supplemental COVID-19 aid, which is less than half of the Biden administration’s original request of $22.5 billion. Most notably, the latest proposal eliminates funding for global vaccination and treatment, which would have lowered the risk of new variants that travel around the globe.

The $10 billion in supplemental funding would support only a minimal level of critical services and the capacity we have built over the course of the epidemic. In fact, the COVID-19 Uninsured Program, included as part of the 2020 CARES Act — and other legislation to reimburse doctors and other medical providers to test, treat and vaccinate people without health insurance — has already stopped accepting new claims due to lack of sufficient funds, leaving some uninsured people to pay on their own. Many testing sites have already begun turning people away because they cannot absorb the staffing costs to administer tests.

According to the White House, “testing manufacturing capacity will being ramping down at the end of June,” meaning a return to test shortages, empty shelves and long lines at testing sites, even for those who can afford to purchase the test. The supply of monoclonal antibody treatments provided to states has been scaled back and could run out as soon as late May.

Immunocompromised individuals will soon lose access to treatments such as Evusheld, a medication that provides protection from COVID-19, and we will be unable to provide vaccines for additional boosters if needed. The current vaccine supply would provide only 70 percent of individuals who are 65 and older with a fourth dose.

Federal investments in the development, production and distribution of COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines — as well as genomic sequencing and surveillance systems that detect new variants — are critical to our continued readiness and response to the pandemic. Without these tools, we may not even detect new surges, threatening our ability to respond quickly. 

At the current death rate, 1 million Americans will have died from COVID-19 by next month, leaving thousands of people without their parents, siblings, caregivers and other loved ones. Just last year, more than 1.2 million more adults became disabled than in the year prior, many likely as the result of COVID-19. Long COVID — the lasting impacts of which are only now starting to be understood — is estimated to have kept more than 1 million workers out of work at some point since the start of the pandemic.

During Congress’ recess, how many Americans will be unable to access tests, vaccines and treatments due to lack of funding? The scaled-back $10 billion package is less than 0.25 percent of the annual federal budget and receives strong support from voters and experts alike. And yet, at this level, it still fails to offer sufficient resources to support critical services for the uninsured. It would be shortsighted in the great desire to “return to normal” to leave the most vulnerable Americans without a safety net and fail to invest in the very tools and infrastructure that can support our collective health and economic recovery.

When Congress returns from recess, it must make funding for COVID-19 response and recovery a priority, however, flawed the package may be, and continue to seek a path forward to address all of the urgent needs.

 Jill Rosenthal is the director of public health at the Center for American Progress, working to address structural public health issues and tackle health disparities through a social determinants of health framework.