OnPolitics: The White House's new COVID-19 strategy for this winter

Mabinty Quarshie and Amy Nakamura, USA TODAY
·3 min read
President Joe Biden speaks about the COVID-19 variant named omicron during a visit to the National Institutes of Health, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021, in Bethesda, Md.
President Joe Biden speaks about the COVID-19 variant named omicron during a visit to the National Institutes of Health, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021, in Bethesda, Md.

Good afternoon, OnPolitics readers!

The government shutdown showdown on the Hill continues today. The House is expected to vote on a temporary spending bill that would prevent a partial government shutdown starting this weekend.

But it's not over yet.

If the bill is approved by the House, it would still need to clear the Senate, where 15 Republican senators are threatening to delay the bill.

Why the hold up? They want language included in the bill that would prevent the use of federal money to carry out a Biden administration mandate on workplace vaccinations.

In other House news: The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has interviewed 250 people and plans weeks of hearings next year about what lawmakers have found.

The cooperation has come despite the high-profile defiance by witnesses such as former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and former President Donald Trump’s political strategist Steve Bannon.

It's Amy and Mabinty with the top stories out of Washington.

Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for OnPolitics newsletter here.

Biden unveils new COVID-19 winter plan

Tighter travel rules, free at-home tests and booster shots are key elements of President Joe Biden's latest strategy to combat the rapidly evolving coronavirus.

Biden said his plan to get through the winter months, which he promoted during a visit to the National Institutes of Health on Thursday, is one that "all Americans hopefully can rally around."

No new vaccine mandates: Biden emphasized he was not expanding or adding vaccination requirements as the federal courts review his previously announced rules for health care workers and employees of larger companies.

The new strategy includes launching hundreds of one-stop-shop sites for entire families — children through grandparents — to get vaccinated or boosted. Pharmacies will expand availability of appointments and walk-in vaccinations, spreading the word through text, calls and emails, according to the White House.

Real quick: stories you'll want to read

  • ‘Remain in Mexico’ program is back: The Biden administration said Mexico has agreed to cooperate on restarting the Migrant Protection Protocols policy as long as the U.S. takes key steps to address Mexico's human rights concerns with the controversial, Trump-era program.

  • Jan. 6 Capitol riot fallout continues: A man who pleaded guilty to making threatening phone calls to members of Congress if they didn't support President Donald Trump has been sentenced to over two years in prison.

  • What might happen to abortion rights: The Supreme Court's blockbuster abortion case is centered on a Mississippi law that bans the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy, but a ruling by the court will almost certainly have sweeping implications for states across the country.

  • She’s running: Stacey Abrams is running for governor, setting up the first test of Georgia's swing state status following President Joe Biden's win during the 2020 election.

Shake up on the veep’s team

Symone Sanders, Vice President Kamala Harris' chief spokesperson and senior adviser, is leaving the White House at the end of the year, according to an administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the announcement.

It’s been a rough fall for Harris: The announcement follows a string of media reports of turmoil within the vice president's office and tension between Harris and the West Wing. White House officials and Harris have disputed those claims, but Sanders' exit marks the second departure from the vice president's office within weeks.

Ashley Etienne, Harris' communications director, announced last month she would leave her role to "pursue other opportunities."

Also on the veep’s mind: Harris, the first female vice president and the first Black and South Asian American person to hold the office, has been a frequent target of criticism for her role overseeing intractable issues like addressing the root causes of immigration, voting rights and access to abortion.

Her poll numbers reflect the political challenge. A USA TODAY/Suffolk poll released last month shows 28% of Americans approve of job performance, a 10% difference from Biden's 38% in job approval rating.

Today's date is rare. Dec. 2, 2021, written out numerically as 12/02/2021, is a palindrome because it reads the same backward as it does forward. — Amy and Mabinty

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden announces free home testing kits, boosters in winter COVID plan

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