Sunday shows – Delta variant, infrastructure dominate

A surge in coronavirus infections driven by the highly transmissible delta variant and the latest on infrastructure talks dominated the Sunday morning political talk shows. 

Anthony Fauci, who serves as President Biden’s chief medical adviser, said that “things are going to get worse” and there will likely “be more pain and suffering.” 

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said bipartisan negotiators are “just about there” on an infrastructure bill.

Read The Hill’s complete coverage below.

Fauci says 'things are going to get worse' as delta variant drives surge in cases By JOSEPH CHOI   Chief White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci on Sunday warned that "things are going to get worse" and that the U.S. will likely see more "pain and suffering" as the more infectious delta variant drives a surge in COVID-19 cases. Read the full story here

Fauci: Amount of virus in breakthrough delta cases 'almost identical' to unvaccinated By JOSEPH CHOI   Anthony Fauci, President Biden's chief medical adviser, on Sunday discussed new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data that showed the levels of coronavirus in vaccinated breakthrough cases of the delta variant are "almost identical" to the levels seen among unvaccinated patients. Read the full story here

NIH director: Mask guidance is 'mostly about protecting the unvaccinated' By MYCHAEL SCHNELL   Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), said on Sunday that the new mask guidance released last week urging fully vaccinated people to wear a face covering indoors in coronavirus hotspots is “mostly about protecting the unvaccinated.” Read the full story here

Wearing masks in schools is 'sacrifice worth making,' NIH director says By JOSEPH CHOI    Requiring students under the age of 12 to wear masks is a "sacrifice worth making," Francis Collins, director of the National Institute of Health (NIH), on Sunday. Read the full story here

Buttigieg on federal union pushback to vaccine mandate: 'This is about protecting lives' By DOMINICK MASTRANGELO   Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Sunday defended the federal government's recent decision to require employees to either be vaccinated against the coronavirus or undergo regular testing and wear a mask. Read the full story here

South Carolina governor accuses health experts of 'hyperbole' By JOSEPH CHOI    South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R)on Sunday accused health experts of "hyperbole" and "exaggeration" in regards to the current COVID-19 surge brought on by the more infectious delta variant. Read the full story here

Collins says negotiators are 'just about finished' with infrastructure bill By MYCHAEL SCHNELL   “We've been finishing up the spending provisions, the appropriations provisions and marrying them to the bill, and we really are just about finished, but large parts of tags have already been shared with Senate offices,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), one of the negotiators working on the bill, told host Jake Tapper during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Read the full story here

Ocasio-Cortez: Democrats can't blame GOP for end of eviction moratorium By MYCHAEL SCHNELL   Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said on Sunday that Democrats cannot “in good faith blame the Republican Party” for the federal eviction moratorium expiring overnight because Democrats hold the majority in the lower chamber. Read the full story here

White House adviser asks landlords to seek rental assistance before evicting tenants By JOSEPH CHOI   White House economic adviser Brian Deese on Sunday called on landlords to seek rental assistance before beginning to evict tenants behind on their rent after the federal eviction moratorium ended. Read the full story here

Kinzinger supports Jan. 6 panel subpoenas for Republicans, including McCarthy By MYCHAEL SCHNELL   Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), one of the two GOP members on the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, said on Sunday that he would support subpoenaing anyone to appear before the panel who can shed light on what former President Trump was doing during the rioting, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Read the full story here

Manchin 'can't imagine' supporting change to filibuster for voting rights By MYCHAEL SCHNELL    Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said on Sunday said “can’t imagine” supporting a carve-out to filibuster rules to help pass voting rights legislation. Read the full story here