Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, along with Republican leadership, is putting together a counterproposal to a plan by Democrats for funding the fight against COVID-19.
"I got a proposal from them, and we've got a counterproposal we're working on with our leadership," Romney told The Hill on Thursday.
"I think we're making progress," Romney said.
He noted the proposals include new ways for funding the fight against COVID-19. He noted the Democrats proposed one way to fund the battle, while Republicans will offer a different approach.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said that he was "working with Sen. Romney and other Republicans in good faith to find some pay-fors that are acceptable to Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate."
Schumer’s remarks came after Biden administration officials said the U.S. was out of money to purchase a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
"Right now, we don't have enough money for fourth doses, if they're called for," White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients said, according to The Washington Post. "We don't have the funding if we were to need a variant-specific vaccine in the future."
While the administration has secured enough doses to give a fourth shot to Americans over age 65, and an initial treatment for children aged 5 and under, there is not enough money left in the federal coffers to buy more for the rest of the country, if needed, officials said.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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