Apr 10, 2022 - Health

Fauci urges Congress to pass COVID funding in case of new surge

Julia Shapero

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to the President, testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Jan. 11. Photo: Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images

NIAID director Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that he hopes Congress "comes through" with additional COVID-19 funding as the U.S. faces the possibility of another surge.

The big picture: The highly transmissible BA.2 subvariant of Omicron is currently the dominant variant of COVID-19 in the U.S., according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Washington was hit with a number of high-profile cases of COVID-19 this week after the Gridiron dinner. At least 67 guests at the dinner have tested positive, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, according to the Washington Post.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also tested positive.

What they're saying: "I hope that Congress comes through and gives us the resources so that as we get into what might be another surge, we're prepared with all of the tools that we need to address it," Fauci said on ABC's "This Week."

He told ABC correspondent Jonathan Karl: "If we don't get that support, Jon, we're not going to be ready for it."

Driving the news: After COVID-19 funding was left out of the omnibus spending bill, senators announced on Monday that they had reached a deal on a $10 billion bipartisan COVID package.

However, the funding measure may be punted to later in the month due to a fight over immigration policy.

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Fauci urges Congress to pass COVID funding in case of new surge

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