Psaki speaks on Afghanistan aid, supply shortages

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday that Washington is providing another 64 million dollars in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

Psaki said the aid to Afghanistan is now over 330 million dollars in 2021, making "the United States is the single largest humanitarian in Afghanistan."

"We will continue to take steps to alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people and call on other donors to step up their contributions to help deliver critical assistance," Psaki said.

Asked about whether the White House was considering removing Trump era tariffs on goods to ease supply chain shortages, Psaki said the White House task force investigating shortages has been investigating "a range of steps," to alleviate the shortages.

Accusations that President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private employers have contributed to the slow downs were dismissed by Psaki.

"Well, I know world renowned business, travel and health expert Senator Ted Cruz has made that point, but I wouldn't say that that is widely acknowledged or echoed by business leaders," she replied to a reporter's question.

With the governor of Texas leading the charge, conservative Republicans in several states are moving to block or undercut the vaccine mandates for private employers before the regulations are even issued.

The growing battle over what some see as overreach by the federal government is firing up a segment of the Republican Party base, even though many large employers have already decided on their own to require their workers to get the shot.

The courts have long upheld vaccine mandates, and the Constitution gives the federal government the upper hand over the states, but with the details still unannounced and more conservative judges on the bench, the outcome isn't entirely clear.

IMAGE: AP