Biden Administration Reveals 50 Million Coronavirus Tests Are Just Sitting in Warehouses

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris pau
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Assistant Secretary Dawn O’Connell from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Tuesday revealed 50 million coronavirus tests are sitting in warehouses.

As the Biden administration purchases $190 million worth of testing kits in January, Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) asked O’Connell during a Senate committee hearing if she could assure him that Biden’s testing kit purchases are not originating from Communist China.

O’Connell responded by admitting HHS has millions of unused tests in warehouses, which are in addition to the outstanding tests out for delivery to the warehouses.

“So is what you’re telling me they’ve got 50 million tests in warehouses in the United States and all we did was access the inventory?” Burr asked for clarification.

“That is my understanding,” O’Connell responded.

“Well, will you confirm your understanding?” Burr asked. “This is a very, very important piece when you’ve got companies that don’t manufacture tests and all of a sudden we’re giving them a $190 million contract for about 14 million home tests and their expertise is importation of vodka.”

While HHS acknowledged it has not shipped 50 million tests, Biden promised to have enough testing kits available for all Americans. Yet after the omicron variant reached the nation’s shores, Americans found testing kits in short supply.

“It’s clearly not enough. If I had — we had — known, we would have gone harder, quicker, if we could have,” Biden admitted in December he broke his testing kit promise. “We have to do more. We have to do better, and we will.”

Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø

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