US Has Few Funds To Bring To Table At Own Covid Summit
As the White House prepares to host world leaders and health experts, stalled negotiations with Congress over additional funds leaves the U.S. little to offer global pandemic response discussions. Speaking of: Democrats decouple Ukraine funding legislation from the thornier matter of covid money, in an effort to get Republicans on board.
Politico:
U.S. To Ask World For More On Global Covid Fight As Its Own Cash Dwindles
The White House is hosting a global Covid response summit this week — but the U.S. isn’t currently prepared to bring significant new money to fight the virus worldwide, according to two people familiar with the preparations. Some senior administration officials and health advocates said they fear the world will see the lack of renewed financial assistance by the U.S. as a retreat from the global efforts, and that could affect the Biden administration’s ability to drum up support from other countries. (Payne, Banco and Paun, 5/9)
And congressional Democrats make a surprise move —
The Hill:
In Shift, Democrats De-Link Ukraine Aid From COVID-19 Money
Democrats are moving to quickly pass nearly $40 billion in new Ukraine aid, which will not be linked to a stalled coronavirus package. ... The Ukraine aid will not be attached to a $10 billion coronavirus assistance package, a source confirmed. That package has been stuck for weeks in the Senate because Republicans are demanding an amendment vote to prevent the administration from lifting a Trump-era border health policy. (Carney, 5/9)
Roll Call:
Democrats To Decouple Ukraine, COVID-19 Funds
President Joe Biden and top Democrats have agreed to a GOP demand to disentangle a stalled COVID-19 response package from a separate supplemental request for military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine so the latter can move more quickly. At the same time, House and Senate Democrats have upped the price tag on the Ukraine package by $6.8 billion above Biden's initial $33 billion request. Democrats proposed including an additional $3.4 billion for food aid and $3.4 billion more to replace U.S. military equipment sent to Ukraine, according to a source familiar with the offer. (Quigley and Krawzak, 5/9)
In related news about covid funds —
Houston Chronicle:
Democrats Call For Investigation As Texas Spends COVID Relief On Gov. Abbott’s $4B Border Plan
The Democrats, led by U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio and Veronica Escobar of El Paso, wrote in a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that Abbott is stripping funding from “integral public sector resources” and spending it on Operation Lone Star, his border initiative. Abbott last month announced the state was pulling $495 million from various state agencies to fund the 10,000-member deployment. The agencies include the Health and Human Services Commission, the Juvenile Justice Department and the Department of State Health Services. (Wermund, 5/9)
The end of the covid emergency could spell trouble for at-risk groups —
USA Today:
COVID End Could Cost Medicaid Coverage For Up To 14 Million Americans
Millions of Americans who gained Medicaid health insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic could lose coverage this year or next year when generous federal subsidies end, a new analysis found. Kaiser Family Foundation estimates 5 to 14 million Americans could lose Medicaid when states begin to unwind coverage after the Biden administration declares the COVID-19 public health emergency is over. The federal government provided billions in federal aid to states on the condition that they would not remove people from Medicaid until the public health emergency ends. The temporary measure to ensure Americans didn't lost coverage during the pandemic has extended more than two years. Kaiser projects sign-ups for full and partial Medicaid coverage will have swollen by 25% to 110 million by September's end. (Alltucker, 5/10)
Roll Call:
End Of COVID-19 Emergency Endangers Substance Use Treatment
Members of vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups could find it more difficult to get treatment for substance use disorders if the end of the public health emergency also brings the end of policies that allow health care providers to prescribe medications through video or audio calls, experts say. In the two years since the COVID-19 pandemic has begun, the Drug Enforcement Administration has allowed providers to prescribe the gold-standard addiction treatment to patients with opioid use disorder through telehealth without first doing an in-person evaluation that addiction experts say is a barrier to underserved communities. (Hellmann, 5/10)
