PLAYING WITH FIRE

White House: We Can’t Afford More COVID Shots, Treatments Without More Funding

The White House said a lack of money will prevent it from funding a fourth vaccine shot and purchasing more antibody treatments.

The White House said it won’t be able to afford future COVID treatments or booster shots if Congress doesn’t provide more money—and quickly. Bipartisan pushback led House Democrats to cut $22.5 billion from the government funding bill, money the White House said would have paid for more monoclonal antibody treatments and a fourth vaccine shot. However, with the money gone, it claimed the next order for antibody treatments will be canceled and state allocations will be significantly pared down. “We want to be clear, waiting to provide funding until we’re in a worse spot with the virus will be too late,” an official told NBC News. “When you consider the cost of all these investments compared to the cost of what we will prevent in terms of hospitalizations, death, and damage to our health care system and our economy, it is not a close call.”