President Joe Biden has had to walk back his statement that "the pandemic is over," but Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., says Biden should not extend the public health emergency, or PHE, when it is up for renewal in October.
"I, therefore, urge you to end the PHE," Tenney wrote in a letter to Biden on Tuesday. "Should you choose to renew the PHE upon its expiration in October, I request an explanation for why this administration has determined such an extraordinary measure should be taken given your statement on the record that, 'the pandemic is over.'
"I thank you in advance for your time and attention to this matter and look forward to your response."
Biden made his statement Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes" but clarified his remark afterward, saying he merely meant that Americans have to learn to live with COVID-19 indefinitely.
The public health emergency has been active since Jan. 31, 2020 and was last renewed by Biden on July 15, 2022, according to Tenney, who is seeking reelection in November.
"Even the White House’s top medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci has said that the virus likely will never be eradicated," Tenney's letter to Biden read in part. "Of course, the appropriate response, then, is to learn to live with and manage the virus, not to perpetuate a constant state of emergency and government control that allows our rights to be infringed upon.
"Instead of renewing the PHE, you should terminate it consistent with your assessment that the pandemic is over. The American people are returning to normal life. The Federal government must as well."
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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