Operation Warp Speed has an Achilles' heel: States need billions to distribute vaccines — and many say they don't have the cash.Why it matters: The first emergency use authorization could come as soon as next month, but vaccines require funding for workers, shipping and handling, and for reserving spaces for vaccination sites.Warp Speed is the $10 billion initiative to accelerate the COVID-19 vaccine timeline. Early projections said it would take years to develop and distribute a vaccine, but it increasingly looks like one will be approved for use this year.The big picture: CDC director Robert Redfield has estimated that price tag at $6 billion.States have thus far gotten $200 million, with another $140 million on the way before the New Year, reports WashPost."It's kind of like setting up tent poles without having the tent," Maine CDC director Nirav Shah told reporters.Between the lines: The CDC is asking for Pfizer's vaccine candidate. The company laid out a timeline earlier this month that said it could request an emergency use authorization by late February.How it works: Pfizer has a facility in Michigan where vaccine vials will be packed into dry ice pods, NPR reports.These "pods will be loaded into boxes that can keep these ultra-cold temperatures for up to 10 days. And they'll be moved around the country in cargo planes and trucks by carriers like UPS and FedEx."The bottom line: "As far as trying to reach all populations with effective vaccine, that's going to be a real challenge," said Mississippi's state health director Thomas Dobbs.