Biden administration announces halt of free at-home COVID-19 testing kits

If you need a free at-home COVID-19 test, you may want to get one as soon as possible.
The last day to order free at-home tests is Friday, CNBC reports after the Biden administration announced Sunday that the government's program was ending due to "insufficient congressional funding."
CNBC reports that the nation's "stockpile of the tests is being depleted," adding that officials want to make sure that there are "enough on hand in the event of a fall surge [of COVID-19 cases]." The only way that the shipments can continue is "[i]f Congress provides funding," CNBC's source said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Biden administration began allowing Americans to start ordering their free tests back in early January, allowing orders of up to four tests per household, NPR writes.
The tests were mailed to people upon request, and "[b]y last May, the White House said 350 million tests had been given away to 70 million households, more than half of the households in the U.S.," according to NPR.
Tests typically take seven to 12 business days to ship, therefore all upcoming orders need to be made before Sept. 2. You can visit the COVID.gov website to order free tests.
Although officials plan to stop sending out the tests, most people will still be able to take a free test at their local clinic or pharmacy. Visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website to find your nearest testing location.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kelsee Majette has worked as a social media editor at The Week since 2022. In 2019, she got her start in local television as a digital producer and fill-in weather reporter at NTV News. Kelsee also co-produced a lifestyle talk show while working in Nebraska and later transitioned to 13News Now as a digital content producer.
-
'If you keep people permanently unhappy, you cannot have a stable society'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The Nare Hotel: a charming hideaway on the Cornish coast
The Week Recommends Upgrade your classic seaside holiday at this five-star country house hotel
By Theo Tait Published
-
Today's political cartoons - March 6, 2025
Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - weird science, Hoover's heels, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Texas outbreak brings 1st US measles death since 2015
Speed read The outbreak is concentrated in a 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite community in rural Gaines County
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Mystery illness spreading in Congo rapidly kills dozens
Speed Read The World Health Organization said 53 people have died in an outbreak that originated in a village where three children ate a bat carcass
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ozempic can curb alcohol cravings, study finds
Speed read Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also be helpful in limiting alcohol consumption
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New form of H5N1 bird flu found in US dairy cows
Speed Read This new form of bird flu is different from the version that spread through herds in the last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Microplastics accumulating in human brains, study finds
Speed Read The amount of tiny plastic particles found in human brains increased dramatically from 2016 to 2024
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
FDA approves painkiller said to thwart addiction
Speed Read Suzetrigine, being sold as Journavx, is the first new pharmaceutical pain treatment approved by the FDA in 20 years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Study finds possible alternative abortion pill
Speed Read An emergency contraception (morning-after) pill called Ella could be an alternative to mifepristone for abortions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
HMPV is spreading in China but there's no need to worry
The Explainer Respiratory illness is common in winter
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published