House to vote on ‘Pandemic Is Over’ bill one day after Biden announces end to COVID-19 emergency
Cami Mondeaux
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The House is set to vote on a bill that would effectively end COVID-19 restrictions just one day after the White House announced it would lift the nationwide public health emergency that was first enacted nearly three years ago.
House lawmakers are scheduled to vote on the “Pandemic is Over” bill on Tuesday, which would immediately lift all pandemic-related policies nationwide and no longer consider COVID-19 a public health emergency. Republicans introduced the bill earlier this month, setting the stage for a largely symbolic vote that lawmakers expect to be vetoed by President Joe Biden.
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However, the bill’s future became more clear after the White House announced on Monday it would be ending the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11. The Biden administration has long debated when to end the public health measures, especially as states relaxed their COVID-19 restrictions and federal funding toward the pandemic dwindled.
The emergency declaration was first issued in January 2020 by former President Donald Trump and has been continually extended in 90-day increments since then. Republicans have repeatedly criticized the Biden administration for extending the COVID-19 emergency, arguing that officials lacked the justification to keep it in place.
The White House has been adamant to continue extending COVID-19 measures despite Biden acknowledging the pandemic “is over” in remarks over the last several months. The Biden administration’s announcement on Monday gives health officials just over three months to prepare for the termination of the public health emergency, following through with a pledge from the Department of Health and Human Services to notify states at least 60 days in advance.
However, some Republicans are pushing for a sooner expiration date.
“I’m glad that my bill finally forced President Biden to act,” said Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY), who introduced the “Pandemic Is Over” bill. “The American people have been living under a COVID-19 public health emergency for three years and should not allow President Biden four more months of emergency powers. It’s time to get our country back to normal, restore checks and balances between Congress and the Executive Branch, and rescind President Biden’s emergency powers.”
When the public health emergency is lifted, it will bring several policy changes to a number of areas, such as insurance markets and treatment approvals.
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The emergency authorization allowed vaccines, testing, and treatments to be offered for free to the public throughout the pandemic. Additionally, the mandate declaration required states to offer continuous enrollment for Medicaid and other public health insurance programs for low-income people.
The vote on the “Pandemic Is Over” act is likely to set up a symbolic vote on the House floor Tuesday, as the Senate is unlikely to pass the legislation after Biden already set a termination date for the public health emergency. The Biden administration has previously vowed to veto the bill should it pass through Congress.