Advocate for Congressional COVID-19 Funding for LTC

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Libbie Chapuran

Although the House and Senate are in recess this week, there's no shortage of work left to be done before Congress adjourns ahead of the midterm elections. What began as the Build Back Better plan is now being reshaped into a much narrower, inflation-fighting measure that would amount to a fraction of the spending in the original bill.

According to recent reporting, the new framework being discussed by the Administration and Congressional leaders would raise about $1 trillion in revenue and spend roughly $500 billion over the next decade, with the remainder of the new revenue being applied to reduce the deficit. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who brought a halt to the measure back in December, has been discussing a revised bill with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer from New York. This new framework would focus on clean energy tax credits, higher taxes on the wealthy, and provisions to lower prescription drug costs.

According to reports, Congress must renegotiate the $10 billion agreement because some money designated to pay for it has been spent. Dr. Cameron Webb, a member of the White House's COVID-19 Task Force, made it clear this week that additional COVID-19 funding is vital, particularly if we want to be at the front of the line to procure the latest vaccines in the pipeline, testing, PPE, and therapeutics like Paxlovid.

Contact Your Congressional Delegation Now

Now is the time to ask Congress to fully fund additional support for the nation’s ongoing efforts to fight COVID-19—especially for older adults who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

Experts predict new surges in the late Summer and Fall, but additional funding is needed to ensure the country has enough vaccines, boosters, tests, and treatments to meet projected needs.

We know the tools we need to confront COVID-19; Congress must act now, so communities across the nation are prepared to deal with the coming surges.

We must ensure that test kits and testing locations remain available and accessible to everyone who needs them and that vaccines (including boosters) are readily available and robustly promoted. Treatments and therapeutics must also be easy to find and access while research on new tests, vaccines, and treatments continues.

Please take two minutes to write to your members of Congress now and advocate for more COVID-19 relief.