As the most overt indication yet that the Biden administration now feels the worst of the pandemic is over, the White House stated Monday that it plans to lift COVID-19 emergency designations on May 11.
Declaration
The declaration was made as a formal statement of opposition to two GOP bills that are scheduled for House vote this week and would immediately end the national emergency and public health emergency first declared during the Trump administration and which quickly made federal funding and resources available to cities and states battling the pandemic. It’s unclear that the bill will be put to a vote in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
On May 11, the United States will have been dealing with a pandemic-related emergency for more than three years. On March 13, 2020, with effect from March 1, 2020, the former president Donald Trump issued a national emergency declaration on COVID-19.
The proposed GOP legislation, according to the White House, “would create wide-ranging chaos and uncertainty throughout the health care system — for states, for hospitals and doctors’ offices, and, most importantly, for tens of millions of Americans.”
It would also result in the abrupt repeal of Title 42, the pandemic-era law that has prevented undocumented immigrants from entering the country illegally due to public health concerns.
The White House highlighted that the plan is dependent on American law. says it is committed to gradually winding down the program in light of the Supreme Court ruling.
Fatalities, Hospitalizations
While a national emergency allowed FEMA and the Pentagon to assist with the deployment of medical supplies and vaccines as well as the measures taken by several agencies to support the nation’s economy, a public health emergency allowed the Department of Health and Human Services to provide funding and resources to state and public health systems as well as hospitals.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, COVID-19 was blamed for 3,756 new fatalities and 3,726 hospitalizations last week.
The CDC estimates that the illness has claimed the lives of about 1.1 million Americans.
Other Reports, COVID Relief Programs
More than 1,000 persons have admitted guilt to federal charges of scamming the several COVID-19 assistance programs that Congress authorized in the early stages of the epidemic or have been found guilty on those counts. And there are federal fraud allegations against over 600 other persons and organizations.
But according to investigators due to appear before a congressional committee on Wednesday, House Republicans are just getting started with their tough supervision of President Joe Biden’s administration.
The first hearing of the new Congress is being held by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability on fraud and waste in government pandemic funding.
Six coronavirus alleviation legislation totaling $4.6 trillion in spending were adopted by Congress in total, starting in March 2020, when Donald Trump was in office.
