Doocy Asks Why Biden Was “So Unprepared” for Testing Demand, Psaki Says Free Tests Won’t Arrive Until “Coming Weeks”

On 1/10/2022, Fox News reporter Peter Doocy pressed Press Secretary Jen Psaki on why the Biden administration was “so unprepared for the need for testing after the holidays” despite the president himself warning of “a winter of severe illness and death.” Psaki conceded the free tests Biden had promised would not arrive until the “coming weeks” — potentially not until after the Omicron surge peaked. She also claimed Build Back Better was “fully paid for” and could not say when Biden would directly intervene in the Chicago teachers’ union shutdown.

”So Unprepared”

Doocy, returning after recovering from COVID, told Psaki he had followed Biden’s advice to “Google COVID test near me” while isolating. “The appointments everywhere were completely jammed,” Doocy said. “So why is it that you guys were so unprepared for the need for testing after the holidays?”

Psaki cited “unprecedented demand for tests” driven by the Omicron surge. But Doocy noted the contradiction: “The president talked about a winter of severe illness and death. While he’s saying that publicly, why weren’t you guys doing more to prepare for the winter?”

When pressed on when the promised 500 million free tests would be available, Psaki said she was “working closely with manufacturers and distributors to understand what they can ship and by when.” Doocy responded: “At the rate you guys are going, these tests are not gonna be available until spring. So will you admit that these free tests you guys promised are not gonna be ready until after the Omicron surge?”

Psaki said tests would “start to go out the door in the coming weeks.”

Vaccine Mandate vs. Test Delivery

Doocy raised a logical conflict: the administration planned to use the U.S. Postal Service to deliver the free tests, but the postal service had warned it would face staffing shortages because of Biden’s own vaccine mandate. “Would you pull back on the vaccine mandate if it meant getting people these free tests sooner?” Doocy asked.

Psaki deflected, noting the postal service had delivered “98, 99 percent of packages on time” — without addressing the staffing concern.

Supreme Court COVID Misinformation

A reporter asked Psaki about COVID misinformation coming from the Supreme Court, specifically Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s false claim during oral arguments that over 100,000 children were “in serious condition, many on ventilators.” The Surgeon General had recently declared COVID misinformation a “public health threat.”

Psaki refused to address it. “I’m not going to speak to Supreme Court arguments or statements made in those arguments,” she said. When pressed again — “Are you worried that there is misinformation being spread so much so that even a sitting Supreme Court justice has an inaccurate picture of things?” — Psaki repeated: “I’m just not going to weigh in on a specific legal argument made in the court.”

Build Back Better “Fully Paid For”

When a reporter cited Goldman Sachs projecting four interest rate hikes in the year and the Committee for Responsible Federal Budget estimating that three hikes would add $175 billion per year to debt payments, Psaki insisted Biden’s spending plans were sound. “The president is committed to fiscal responsibility and ensuring that our long-term investments are fully paid for. That’s why he has proposed a range of ways to pay for his Build Back Better agenda and why it’s fully paid for,” she said.

Chicago Schools: “When Will He Intervene?”

Reporters pressed again on the Chicago teachers’ union refusing in-person instruction for the fourth consecutive day. “Can we expect that the president will be more aggressive and use the bully pulpit to tell teachers’ unions in Chicago to get back in the classroom? This is the nation’s third largest school district,” a reporter asked.

Psaki repeated that Biden wanted schools open but declined to commit to direct intervention. When asked if Biden had spoken to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot directly, Psaki did not confirm. “The president’s view is that schools should be open across the country,” she said.

The Beast Gets Six Miles Per Gallon

In a lighter exchange, a reporter noted Biden had pushed for electric vehicles and raised federal mileage standards to 40 miles per gallon — while the presidential limousine, “the Beast,” gets an estimated six miles per gallon. “Is there any plan to make his car electric?” the reporter asked.

“I’m happy to check on that,” Psaki said. “The Beast is just one member” of the large federal fleet.

When asked what she had been watching during her quarantine, Psaki said: “I have exhausted the full catalog of Guy Fieri content.”

Key Takeaways

Doocy pressed Psaki on why the administration was “so unprepared” for testing demand despite Biden warning of “a winter of severe illness and death.”
Psaki conceded the 500 million free tests would not arrive until the “coming weeks” — potentially after the Omicron surge peaked.
The administration refused to address Justice Sotomayor’s false claim about 100,000 children on ventilators, despite calling COVID misinformation a “public health threat.”
Psaki again claimed Build Back Better was “fully paid for” even as Goldman Sachs projected four rate hikes adding billions to debt payments.
Chicago schools remained closed for the fourth straight day; Psaki would not say when Biden would intervene directly.

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

Why is it that you guys were so unprepared for the need for testing after the holidays?
The president talked about a winter of severe illness and death. While he’s saying that publicly, why weren’t you guys doing more to prepare?
At the rate you guys are going, these tests are not gonna be available until spring.
Goldman Sachs is saying there’s gonna be four rate hikes this year. Does this change the thinking of the White House in terms of how much spending the president wants to do?
His Build Back Better agenda is fully paid for.
What do you guys think about COVID misinformation coming from the Supreme Court? I’m not going to speak to Supreme Court arguments.

Full transcript: 1965 words transcribed via Whisper AI.