Despite numerous problems, the US authorities do not forget about the pandemic. While in some countries, it suddenly vanished from news articles and TV programs, the US remembers that the issue is still unresolved and continues allocating money to combat the virus.
Russians have already shifted their attention to some other problems, whereas in the US, the coronavirus is still on the agenda. The White House is not planning to taper programs aimed at supporting businesses and population, at least in the near future. On the contrary, it has asked Congress to approve an additional $22.5 billion to strengthen the nation's pandemic response. In case of approval, the funds will be used “to purchase more vaccines and treatments, maintain existing testing capability, and prepare for future variants.” The Biden administration supposes that it is a reasonable request, especially amid the expectations of a new coronavirus wave. The US president and his team believe that in the near future, the country may face new problems that will need money to be solved. Curiously, the number of new virus cases has been confidently falling since January 2022. However, a worsening epidemiological situation in Europe and China is causing some concerns.
The US Congress does not fully support the White House’s plans. Last week, the House of Representatives decided to reduce funds allocated to deal with the infection by $15 billion. In addition, Republicans proposed to cut the funding of state and local governments and use the released funds to fight the pandemic. Now, the government fears that it will not have time to buy enough doses of vaccine, antiviral pills, and some other things of vital importance.
