This week, the United States Senate approved rep. Paul Gosar’s bill to end the Presidential COVID-19 national emergency declaration. The House of Representatives passed H. J. Res 7 on February 1, 2023.
Gosar’s legislation terminates the COVID-19 national emergency declaration and thus terminates the executive branch powers granted under that act.
The National Emergencies Act (NEA) was passed in 1974 to reign in presidential emergency powers which are activated when a formal emergency is declared. On March 13, 2020, President Trump declared a national emergency concerning COVID-19.
A provision in the NEA requires Congress to review termination of national emergencies, stating that after six months, and every six months after the emergency continues, Congress must meet to consider a resolution of termination. In the 117th Congress, Gosar introduced multiple resolutions, including H.J.Res.46, to require Congress to debate the merits of the continued emergency declaration. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi changed the rules of the entire House to prevent members of Congress from considering the resolution.
“I am pleased that both the Senate and House of Representatives have now passed legislation requiring the Biden administration to finally end the outdated and abusive COVID-19 national emergency declaration,” said Gosar in a press release. “The pandemic has long been over, and there is no reason to keep emergency powers for an emergency that has ended. Our long national nightmare is over.”
According to Gosar, passage of his bill “helps to end the more than 120 presidential authorities provided under the emergency declaration and safeguard our country from any further abuses by Mr. Biden. The National Emergencies Act is meant to provide a check against presidential exploitation by mandating congressional review. However, Nancy Pelosi willfully ignored the law and provided cover to Joe Biden when she was Speaker of the House by not once allowing a vote to end the COVID-19 national emergency declaration. One such abuse was Mr. Biden’s use of the national emergency declaration as the justification for his failed student loan forgiveness “program.”
Gosar hopes an end of the emergency powers will also open the door to allow Republicans in Congress the ability to “claw back the billions of unspent dollars that Mr. Biden has moved around under the so-called guise of a pandemic and put towards strengthening Social Security.”
“I want to thank Speaker McCarthy for working with me to get this across the finish line and I strongly urge Mr. Biden to sign into law my legislation ending the COVID-19 national emergency declaration,” concluded Gosar.