Biden signs bill ending COVID national emergency, weeks before it was set to expire
In January, the White House announced plans to extend the national emergency, as well as the public health emergency, until May 11. However, the legislation ending the national emergency takes effect immediately.
Pres. Biden on Monday signed a House bill immediately ending the COVID-19 national emergency, bringing it to a close after three years — weeks before it was set to expire alongside a separate public health emergency. The bill, signed behind closed doors, ended only the national emergency and it is unclear what immediate effect the bill will have on linked U.S. policies, such as the student debt forgiveness plan.
The White House initially announced plans to extend the national emergency, as well as the public health emergency, until May 11. Ending the national emergency will end the use of some waivers for federal health programs meant to help health care providers during the height of the pandemic.
Related: The U.S. health care system, post-COVID emergency: 4 key changes
The national emergency allowed the government to take sweeping steps to respond to the virus and support the country’s economic, health and welfare systems. Some of the emergency measures have already been successfully wound-down, while others are still being phased out. The public health emergency is set to expire on May 11.
The White House issued a one-line statement Monday saying Biden had signed the measure, after having publicly opposed the resolution, which passed the House in February with a handful of Democrats.
In March, as the measure passed the Senate, Biden told Senate Majority Chuck Schumer he would sign it. The White House had earlier said the legislation 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.”
Last year, legislators extended telehealth flexibilities that were introduced as COVID-19 hit for another two years.
More than 1 million people in the U.S. have died from COVID-19 over the last three years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The national emergency, which allowed for federal funding to go to cities and states for COVID testing and vaccinations, was first declared by former President Donald Trump in March 2020. The emergencies have been extended under Biden since he took office in January 2021.