The government is ending its free at-home Covid-19 test program this week, citing a lack of funding, a White House official tells CNN.
Both the White House and the website where people can claim their tests blamed Congress for failing to provide additional funding for the program, which provided up to 16 free tests per household since the beginning of the year."Ordering through this program will be suspended on Friday, September 2 because Congress hasn't provided additional funding to replenish the nation's stockpile of tests," the Covid.gov website reads.
However, officials have warned for months that, absent additional funding from Congress, the administration would be forced to roll back its Covid-19 response efforts."We have warned that Congressional inaction would force unacceptable tradeoffs and harm our overall COVID-19 preparedness and response—and that the consequences would likely worsen over time," the White House official told CNN.