TODAY Show: Senate narrowly votes to end COVID-19 national emergency

Sen. Marshall’s Resolution Passes 62-36

(Washington, D.C., November 16, 2022) – Last night, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution offered by U.S. Senator Roger Marshall M.D. to end the COVID-19 national state of emergency currently in effect under the National Emergencies Act (NEA). Senator Marshall’s resolution followed President Joe Biden’s comments that the coronavirus pandemic is over, yet the national emergency for COVID-19 has yet to be terminated by the White House. Immediately after Senator Marshall’s resolution passed the Senate, the White House threatened to veto the measure. Thirteen Senate Democrats joined Senator Marshall in supporting the resolution.

HERE IS WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:

TODAY Show: Senate narrowly votes to end COVID-19 national emergency – More than a dozen Democrats joined with Republicans in the Senate in a vote to end the National Covid Emergency declaration adopted in 2020. The White House says President Biden would veto the legislation.

WSJ: Senate Votes to End Covid-19 Emergency Declaration – President Biden threatened to veto any congressional efforts to end the national emergency declaration’s status, said the Office of Management and Budget in a statement… The issue was put before Senate lawmakers on Tuesday by Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall who called for a vote to end the declaration in September shortly after Mr. Biden said on CBS‘s “60 Minutes” that “the pandemic is over.”

Reuters: Biden would veto proposed U.S. Senate resolution to end COVID national emergency – President Joe Biden would veto a proposed U.S. Senate resolution that would terminate a national emergency declared in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the White House said on Tuesday… Republican U.S. Senator Roger Marshall in September called for a vote to end the emergency declaration after Biden told CBS News in an interview that the pandemic was “over.”

Salina Post: Marshall’s resolution to end COVID national emergency passes Senate – By a bipartisan vote of 62-36, the U.S Senate passed U.S. Senator Roger Marshall’s resolution to end the COVID-19 national state of emergency currently in effect under the National Emergencies Act (NEA).

Business Insider: These are the 12 Democrats who voted to end the official COVID-19 emergency Biden has used to extend student-debt relief – On Tuesday evening, 62 senators voted on a resolution to end the government’s COVID-19 emergency declaration, which has been in place since former President Donald Trump implemented it in March 2020. It was introduced by GOP Sen. Roger Marshall, who said on the Senate floor on Tuesday that the emergency declaration was allowing Biden “to supersize government powers.”

Kansas City Star: Kansas Republican Roger Marshall’s resolution to end COVID-19 emergency passes Senate – Sen. Roger Marshall’s resolution to end the national emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic passed the Senate 62-36 on Tuesday, picking up bipartisan support on an effort that would effectively spike President Joe Biden’s student loan debt forgiveness plan. This is the second time Marshall, a Republican from Kansas, has been able to pass such a resolution through the Senate… Biden’s administration said he will veto Marshall’s resolution if it also passes the House.

Kansas City NBC: Roger Marshall, Kansas Senator Wanted Vote to End Emergency

NBC Wichita: Kansas Senator Roger Marshall Requested Vote to End COVID Emergency

Trending Politics: 13 Democrat Senators Revolt After Midterm Election, Deal Massive Blow to Biden’s Agenda – The U.S. Senate has voted in resounding fashion to end the Covid “public health emergency” that the Biden administration had recently extended until April 2023. The Senate voted 62-36 to end the ’emergency’ declaration on Tuesday afternoon. The motion was spearheaded by Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican from Kansas.

Background:

Senator Marshall spoke on the Senate floor last night to force a vote on his legislation. You may click HERE or on the image below to watch Senator Marshall’s speech. You may click HERE to view Senator Marshall’s remarks as prepared.

In March 2020, President Donald Trump invoked the National Emergencies Act (NEA) in regard to COVID-19. In February 2021 and then again in February 2022, President Joe Biden extended it. A provision in the NEA grants Congress termination review of national emergencies, stating that after six months, and every six months after the emergency continues, “each House of Congress shall meet to consider a vote on a joint resolution to determine whether the emergency shall be terminated.” However, Congressional interpretation of this law has determined that the absence of a resolution introduced by any member signals unanimous consent for continuation. In failing to meet, debate, and vote on an emergency, Congress is effectively ceding more unchecked emergency powers to the executive similar to its failure to enforce War Powers provisions.

On March 3, 2022, Senator Marshall’s resolution to end the COVID-19 national state of emergency passed the Senate by a vote of 48-47. On that same day, the White House issued a veto threat of Sen. Marshall’s resolution, and the U.S. House of Representatives failed to take up the measure. Under the NEA, Congress is mandated to determine whether the emergency should continue, a process Congress has not fully enforced, ceding power to the executive. You may click HERE to view the resolution. Senators Mike Braun (IN), Mike Lee (UT), Ted Cruz (TX), and Rand Paul (KY) Rick Scott (FL), Steve Daines (MT), Ron Johnson (WI), Mike Crapo (ID), and James Risch (ID) cosponsored Senator Marshall’s resolution. The NEA outlines an expedited parliamentarian procedure for emergency termination resolutions. Once the resolution is introduced and approved by the parliamentarian, it is referred to the Committee of jurisdiction, the Senate Committee on Finance in this instance. The committee of referral is to report one joint resolution along with its recommendations within 15 calendar days after the day of referral, unless the chamber “shall otherwise determine by the yeas and nays.” Once reported, the terminating resolution “shall become the pending business” of the chamber and a vote on final passage is to occur within three calendar days thereafter (unless the chamber “shall otherwise determine by yeas and nays”).

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