Kamala Harris repeatedly says 'we are doing it' when asked about timeline of promised 500 million COVID tests
Harris falsely claimed in a previous interview that she had been to the southern border, repeatedly saying, 'We've been to the border'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vice President Kamala Harris faced another awkward interview moment Tuesday when she repeatedly told NBC News' Craig Melvin," We are doing it," when pressed on the timeline of the Biden administration's commitment to deliver 500 million coronavirus tests across the country.
"The 500 million tests that have been ordered that are going to be sent to every American, do we know when those are going out?" Melvin asked Harris during an interview that aired on NBC's "Today."
"Shortly. They're going to go out shortly," Harris responded.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vice President Kamala Harris speaks with NBC's Craig Melvin in a one-one-one interview that aired January 13, 2022. (Screenshot/NBC) (Screenshot/NBC)
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"Next week?" Melvin asked.
"They've been ordered. They've been ordered. We – I have to look at the current information. I think it's going to be by next week. But soon. Absolutely soon. And it is a matter of urgency for us," Harris said, appearing unsure of her answer.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Should we have done that sooner?" Melvin asked.
"We are doing it," Harris said.
"But should we have done it sooner?" Melvin asked again.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We are doing it," Harris replied.
FILE - Youngstown City Health Department worker Faith Terreri grabs two at-home COVID-19 test kits to be handed out during a distribution event, Dec. 30, 2021, in Youngstown, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Dermer, File)
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The odd moment served as a reminder of a separate viral NBC interview in which Harris falsely claimed she had been to the southern U.S. border when pressed on why she had not yet visited amid the surging immigration crisis there.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I – at some point – you know – we are going to the border. We've been to the border," Harris told anchor Lester Holt at the time. "So this whole – this whole – this whole thing about the border. We've been to the border. We've been to the border."
President Biden's December promise that the 500 million at-home tests would be delivered in January has yet to be fulfilled, despite repeated touting by administration officials of the massive order.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks while joining the White House Covid-19 Response Team's call with the National Governors Association discussing the Omicron variant in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. Photographer: Ken Cedeno/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Ken Cedeno/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}White House press secretary Jen Psaki was also unable to specify last week when test shortages and long lines at testing centers would be alleviated; however she stuck with the "expectation" that tests would begin being delivered this month.
The U.S. hit a record high number of new coronavirus cases Monday, tallying 1.4 million in a single day. Deaths have also risen steadily, reaching a 7-day running average of more than 1,200 deaths per day as of last week, according to the CDC.