A senior Biden administration official told NBC News on Sunday that the government will stop sending COVID-19 at-home tests on Friday due to a lack of funding for the program. The source added that eliminating free tests will help the government conserve the dwindling stockpile of tests ahead of the colder months in case there’s a surge of infections in the fall. Three sets of free tests per household have been available upon request at Covidtests.gov with no mailing costs. An announcement posted on the site said “ordering through this program will be suspended on Friday, September 2 because Congress hasn’t provided additional funding to replenish the nation’s stockpile of tests.” “If Congress provides funding, we will expeditiously resume distribution of free tests through covidtests.gov,” the Biden administration official said. “Until then, we believe reserving the remaining tests for distribution later this year is the best course.”
