Exclusive: CDC Ends Free Mask Program
The Centers and Disease Control and Prevention confirmed to BidenTracking on Friday that the federal free N95 mask program has ended. The program, which launched in February following criticism over the Biden Administration’s handling of the omicron variant surge, distributed thousands of free masks to pharmacies and community health centers across the country.
It was not immediately clear the reasoning behind the decision. Congress dropped billions of dollars for such efforts from a government funding bill last month, but neither the Biden Administration nor the CDC publicly announced that the Free Mask program would be affected by the lack of funding. Earlier today, the CDC warned about new Omicron variants having the ability to evade COVID immunity.