A group of 15 House Republicans are co-sponsoring the Pandemic is Over Act introduced Wednesday by Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky.
"The COVID-19 pandemic is over," Guthrie wrote in a statement, announcing the bill. "Despite President Biden admitting this in September, his administration just authorized the 12th extension of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
"It is long overdue for President Biden to end the COVID-19 public health emergency and relinquish the emergency powers that he just renewed again. President Biden's inaction and lack of transparency on this are unacceptable."
The bill could pass the House led by Republicans, but it would have a hard time passing the Senate or avoiding the veto of President Joe Biden.
"I introduced the Pandemic is Over Act to prevent any more delays by forcing the Biden administration to finally release and execute a plan that my House Republican colleagues and I have been repeatedly pressing for to unwind the PHE," Guthrie's statement added.
The House GOP effort to end the COVID-19 health emergency that began in January 2020 has been ongoing. In the 117th Congress, a February 2022 letter was signed by many more House GOP members, calling on Biden and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to end the public health emergency.
"Unfortunately, some state and local governments will continue to impose failed, restrictive policies as long as the federal PHE [public health emergency] remains in effect, which sends the message that the country is still in a crisis that requires emergency powers," that letter read.
"Although the PHE was certainly necessary at the outset of the pandemic, it was always meant to be temporary. Our country is now in a much different situation than we were when the PHE was originally enacted," it continued.
"We recognize that the PHE cannot end overnight, and that certain actions must be taken to avoid significant disruption to patients and health care providers, including working with Congress to extend certain policies like maintaining access to telehealth services for our nation's seniors.
"It is long-past time your administration show leadership in moving us to pre-pandemic life."
The cosponsors of Guthrie's bill: Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash.; Neal Dunn, M.D., R-Fla.; Morgan Griffith, R-Va.; Bob Latta, R-Ohio; Michael Burgess, M.D., R-Texas; Larry Bucshon, M.D., R-Ind.; Greg Pence, R-Ind.; Buddy Carter, R-Ga.; John Joyce, M.D., R-Pa.; John Curtis, R-Utah; Richard Hudson, R-N.C.; Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas; Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla.; and Jeff Duncan, R-S.C.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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