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Alice Miranda Ollstein Profile picture
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1 Feb, 5 tweets, 2 min read
Senate Republicans' $618 billion counter-offer to Biden's $1.9 trillion plan contains similar amounts for testing and vaccines, but just a small fraction of the money Biden requested for helping schools reopen
collins.senate.gov/sites/default/…
One member of the GOP group going to the White House to meet with Biden today, Bill Cassidy, has questioned whether schools need any extra money at all -- pointing to private/religious schools that have already reopened. politico.com/newsletters/po…
Also not included in the GOP plan: Biden's pitch to create a 100,000 person public health corps to help staff vaccination sites, conduct testing, etc. When it was intro'd as a standalone bill last year, several Republicans including Cassidy cosponsored
collins.senate.gov/sites/default/…
Also not in the GOP pitch: Money for community health centers and tribal clinics that Biden argues is needed to distribute the vaccine to marginalized and underserved populations.
There is also a huge chasm between the two plans on how much economic aid should go to whom and in what form, but I'm highlighting the biggest differences on the health/pandemic side of the equation because that's my beat!

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More from @AliceOllstein

Alice Miranda Ollstein Profile picture
24 Jan
My parents in Southern California received their first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine (literal tears of joy!) but they were not given an appointment for their 2nd doses because the state is unsure there will be adequate supply. (Knot of dread in the pit of my stomach!)
The pharmacy won't even contact them to offer an appointment and there aren't any currently available in the 4-week window for the Moderna shot. They were advised to just keep calling every single day and hope something opens up. This is...a terrible system.
My parents have so many advantages compared to other Angelenos. They are not frontline workers. They can stay safe at home while they wait. They have phones and computers they can use to keep checking for appointments. What are less privileged people over 65 supposed to do?
Read 6 tweets
Alice Miranda Ollstein Profile picture
15 Dec 20
Trump, Biden, Schumer & other top DC leaders aren't rushing to be first in line for the vaccine amid concerns about the ethics of cutting the line in front of health workers. But with national security at stake, the pressure is building. politico.com/news/2020/12/1…
This morning, Fauci said Trump, Pence, Biden and Harris should get the shot as soon as possible. Because the shots come in 2 doses 3 weeks apart, they would have to get them soon in order to be fully protected in time for the inauguration. politico.com/news/2020/12/1…
While some lawmakers are declaring they'll wait until health workers and nursing home residents are vaccinated before requesting the shots themselves, others are pushing for a plan to quickly vaccinate Congress members and staff. politico.com/f/?id=00000176…
Read 4 tweets
Alice Miranda Ollstein Profile picture
15 Dec 20
NEW: Top officials in the White House, the Pentagon and Congress are navigating an ethical minefield as they begin to be offered early access to the Covid-19 vaccine. Should get the shot now to set a good example, or will that look like cutting the line? politico.com/news/2020/12/1…
As much as officials want to send the message that the vaccine is safe and be protected themselves, they're very sensitive to the optics at play.

"I don’t think that power or privilege or money should ever be a factor in who gets the vaccine first" @RepRaulRuizMD told me.
Lawmakers don't yet know when they will have access to the vaccine, but some are already declaring that they plan to wait their turn.

“I will not skip the line,” @SenSchumer said Monday.

politico.com/news/2020/12/1…
Read 4 tweets
Alice Miranda Ollstein Profile picture
10 Nov 20
Today is the day the Supreme Court debates the fate of the Affordable Care Act. Coverage for tens of millions of people is on the line. Arguments begin at 10am. politico.com/news/2020/11/0…
California's solicitor general opens by arguing that Obamacare's zero-dollar penalty for not buying insurance "doesn't harm anyone and it doesn't violate the Constitution." c-span.org/video/?471185-…
Oh wow, Clarence Thomas, who *never* talks during oral arguments, compares the Obamacare's individual mandate to face mask mandates during Covid, says that even if they carry no penalty they can have a "chilling effect."
Read 16 tweets
Alice Miranda Ollstein Profile picture
8 Nov 20
This morning, Biden's transition team fully launched BuildBackBetter.com, and the top item on their list of "Day 1" priorities is a detailed plan to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, most of which we reported earlier this week politico.com/news/2020/11/0…
He promises to:
-Double the number of drive-through testing sites.
-invest in developing at-home tests (more on why we don't have those yet: politico.com/news/2020/10/2…)
-create a 100k person public health corps to help overburdened contact tracers
-use the Defense Production Act to eliminate ongoing shortages of protective gear for health workers
-develop clear national guidelines for schools/businesses reopening
-create a national online dashboard for people to see the virus' severity in their community
Read 8 tweets
Alice Miranda Ollstein Profile picture
4 Aug 20
NEW: The admin slashed 25% of the funding for the National Guard's COVID relief deployment in every state...except Texas and Florida, which will continue to receive full funding.
@DemGovs accuses Trump of trying to "benefit his own political fortunes." politico.com/news/2020/08/0…
@DemGovs We asked the White House, the Defense Department, the National Guard, Texas, Florida and OMB for an explanation for why those states got more funding. None was provided. politico.com/news/2020/08/0…
@DemGovs Those states have the most current hospitalizations. HOWEVER, they don't have the most total cases, cases per 100k people or highest positivity rates. Since the Guard deals more w/ testing than hospitalizations, one Guard leader told me it makes no sense. politico.com/news/2020/08/0…
Read 5 tweets

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