This past Tuesday, Old Uncle Joe fumbled the ball with his response when asked about his recently announced plan to end the COVID-19 emergencies.
When speaking to the gathered press prior to heading out from the White House via Marine One, Biden was questioned about what was the source behind his choice to finally put an end to the national and public health emergencies on May 11th. Biden first put the responsibility on the Supreme Court, then stated that declarations would end on the 15th of May, just 4 days after the day that the White House highlighted as part of its Monday announcement.
“What’s behind your decision to end the COVID emergency?” explained Kristen Welker, the NBC News White House Correspondent, questioned of Biden as he made his way up to the press gaggle.
Biden quickly grabbed Welker’s hand and stood with her under an umbrella as he issue his response. “Well, the emergency will end when the Supreme Court ends it,” he stated. “We’ve extended it to May the 15th to make sure we get everything done. That’s all. There’s nothing behind it at all.”
Biden says COVID is still an emergency while grabbing a lady's hand and breathing right in her face.pic.twitter.com/goyvWCWPSp
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) January 31, 2023
Biden never actually clarify what he meant when he said “get everything done.” Biden also messed up the date that the emergencies will actually end. The White House announced in a policy memo this past Monday that it would stop the emergency declarations as of May 11th, not the stated May 15th.
It is still quite unclear as to what Biden really meant when he brought up the Supreme Court — however the fates of a pair of two pandemic-era policies are currently sitting neatly in the hands of the court: student loan forgiveness and Title 42. Back near the end of December, the court issued its ruling which stated that it will be keeping the Title 42 restrictions — which allowed border agents to send back migrants as they were apprehended at the southern border because of COVID — in place indefinitely so that it could look over the arguments from both sides of the issue. The court has not put out a final ruling on the subject as of yet.
The Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plan is also currently waiting on a final ruling to be handed down from the Supreme Court. There are a pair of cases slated to be heard by the court; the oral arguments for both cases are expected to start as soon as the 28th of February. A final ruling is not expected to go public until at least June.
As part of a statement of policy coming from the White House Office of Management and Budget, the Oval Office admitted that it would put forth one last extension of the national and public health emergency declarations as of April 11th, and then would finally cut both a month later.
“The COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency (PHE) were declared by the Trump Administration in 2020,” stated OMB in its release. “They are currently set to expire on March 1 and April 11, respectively. At present, the Administration’s plan is to extend the emergency declarations to May 11, and then end both emergencies on that date. This wind-down would align with the Administration’s previous commitments to give at least 60 days’ notice prior to termination of the PHE.”
