Daily Times

US lawmakers scrambled Wednesday to cut a deal on more Covid-19 funding as President Joe Biden and Democratic leaders in Congress urged the nation not to drop their guard in combating the pandemic. The White House has been ramping up its warnings in recent weeks that money is running out for crucial elements of the federal response — including vaccination, testing and providing therapeutic medicines. Officials said last week the federal government would no longer be able to pay hospitals and health clinics for the testing they provide for 30mn uninsured Americans. Mitt Romney, the chief Covid negotiator for the Republicans in the US Senate, has been meeting with Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to thrash out the contours of a $15.6bn tranche of new funding. “If a new Covid variant extends its nasty tentacles across the country and we don’t have the tools to respond, then woe is us,” Schumer warned colleagues on the Senate floor. Democratic leaders have voiced hope that lawmakers can pass a package before leaving town for Easter at the end of next week. Schumer has been urging Romney to get other Republicans on board, with 10 opposition senators required to get any Democratic proposal past the evenly-divided Senate. Romney, a former presidential nominee, is demanding that the cash be fully offset however with savings elsewhere. He also wants a full accounting of money already allocated.