Several Democrat senators are revolting against Joe Biden and have voted against extending the president’s Covid “public health emergency” declaration.
The U.S. Senate has voted to end the “Covid emergency” that the Biden administration had recently extended until April 2023.
The Biden admin tried to extend the emergency despite the president himself declaring in September that the “pandemic is over.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the Senate voted 62-36 to end the “emergency” declaration after a significant number of Democrats turned against Biden to side with Republicans.
The motion was spearheaded by Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS).
The Senate voted 62-36 to terminate Biden's COVID National Emergency.
Thank you again for your leadership @RogerMarshallMD!
Will @SpeakerPelosi allow a House vote or will that have to wait for Speaker McCarthy???https://t.co/x33NZJgCRI pic.twitter.com/f0L0s42X2E
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) November 16, 2022
While it is unclear if the House of Representatives will immediately take up the measure, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is now on borrowed time.
Her tenure as speaker is set to come to an end on January 3, 2023, with the projected incoming Republican-led House.
12 Democrats joined in with the Republicans to put an end to the Covid public health emergency declaration:
- Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
- Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
- Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)
- Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT)
- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
- Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT)
- Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ)
- Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA)
- Sen. Cortez-Masto (D-NV)
- Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
- Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
Sen. Angus King (I-ME), who is officially an Independent but caucuses with Democrats, also voted against Biden’s declaration.
However, Chuck Schumer’s office later claimed that his vote was recorded in error and will later be withdrawn.
Must have gotten a call from Joe… https://t.co/cODG7lVJIv
— Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) November 16, 2022
For nearly three years now, the declaration of a “public health emergency” has been used as a rationale to suspend the rule of law.
The Biden admin has referred to the state of emergency as a pretext for suspending student loan payments and enforcing its unconstitutional rent moratorium.
According to a statement from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Biden has threatened to veto any congressional efforts to end the national emergency declaration’s status.
OMB claims that ending the declaration would weaken the federal government’s ability to respond to Covid surges.
“Preserving our ability to respond is more important than ever as we head into the winter, when respiratory illnesses such as Covid-19 typically spread more easily,” the statement said.
“Strengthened by the ongoing declaration of national emergency, the federal response to Covid-19 continues to save lives, improve health outcomes, and support the American economy.”
However, as the CDC earlier pointed out, over 95% of Americans have some form of protection against COVID-19.
The currently predominant BA.4 and BA.5 variants are far less deadly than earlier strains.
Plus an estimated 97% of Americans have natural immunity from prior infection, according to CDC data.
The White House has nonetheless asked for $10 billion in funding for the Covid response.
“Biden officials finalized a request this week for about $10 billion in public health funds by year’s end, part of a larger request in the lame-duck session of Congress that would also include funding for Ukraine and disaster relief for hurricane damage in Florida, according to six people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe confidential budget discussions,” the Washington Post reported.
