President Joe Biden informed Congress on Monday that he would end the double national emergency imposed to deal with the coronavirus crisis on May 11, as most of the world returned to closer to normal nearly three years after the measures were first declared.
The move to end the national emergency and public health emergency declarations would formally restructure the federal response to the coronavirus to treat the virus as an endemic public health threat that can be managed through normal agency powers.
It comes as lawmakers have already ended emergency provisions that kept millions of Americans insured during the pandemic. Combined with the withdrawal of most federal money for Covid-19 relief, it would also move the development of vaccines and treatments out of the direct control of the federal government.
Biden's announcement came in a statement in which he opposes resolutions introduced by House Republicans this week to end the state of emergency immediately. House Republicans are also preparing to launch an investigation into the federal government's response to Covid-19.
Then-President Donald Trump first declared the Covid-19 pandemic a national emergency on March 13, 2020. Biden has repeatedly extended states of emergency since taking office in January 2021, and they are set to expire in the coming months. The White House said Biden plans to extend both eras for a short time until they end on May 11.
"An abrupt end to the emergency declaration would create widespread chaos and uncertainty throughout the health care system — for states, for hospitals and doctors' offices, and, most importantly, for tens of millions of Americans," the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement released on administration policy.
Congress has already muted the reach of the public health emergency that has had the most direct impact on Americans, as political calls to end the emergency have intensified. For months, lawmakers have refused to comply with the Biden administration's request to approve billions more dollars to extend free vaccinations and testing for Covid. And the $1,7 trillion spending package passed last year and signed by Biden ended a rule that barred states from excluding people from health insurance ("Medicaid"), a move expected to cause millions of people to lose insurance after April 1st.
The cost of Covid-19 vaccines is expected to skyrocket when the government stops buying them, with Pfizer saying it will charge as much as $130 per dose. Only 15 percent of Americans have received the recommended, updated booster that has been offered since last fall.
After the emergency ends, people with private insurance will have some out-of-pocket costs for vaccines, tests and treatment, while the uninsured will have to pay those costs in full.
Lawmakers have expanded the flexibility of telehealth, which was introduced as a hit in the fight against Covid-19, leading to health systems across the country routinely delivering care via smartphone or computer.
The Biden administration previously considered lifting the state of emergency last year, but backed off over concerns about a potential "winter surge" in cases and to provide adequate time for providers, insurers and patients to prepare for the end of the measures.
A senior administration official said the three months until expiration will mark a transition period in which the administration will "begin the process of smoothly operationally phasing out the flexibility made possible by the declaration of a state of emergency due to Covid-19." The official insisted on anonymity as a condition of speaking about the announcement before it was made public.
More than 1,1 million people in the US have died from Covid-19 since 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including about 3.700 last week.
The number of cases has fallen after a slight spike over the winter holidays and is well below levels seen over the past two winters - although the number of virus tests performed and reported to public health officials has fallen sharply.
Moments before the White House's announcement, Republican Congressman Tom Cole accused the president of needlessly extending the public health emergency to take action on issues like forgiving some federal student loan debt.
"The country is mostly back to normal," Cole said Monday, introducing a Republican-backed bill calling for an end to the health emergency. "Americans returned to work and school every day without restrictions on their activities. It is time for the government to recognize this reality: the pandemic is over".
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