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. The previous version, which passed in March, never received a vote in the House. It needs to pass both chambers to reach the president’s desk.
In a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday, Marshall said the national emergency has been in place for too long and was used to justify efforts to stem the spread of the virus that he opposed, like requiring members of the military to get the vaccine and federal mask mandates.
“Congress must take the responsible action of reining in this massive expansion of government and restore Americans fundamental rights by terminating the COVID-19 national emergency declaration,” Marshall said. “As to the elements to the pandemic response that are working and needed, let’s codify them into law.”
Twelve Democratic senators and Sen. Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with the Democrats, voted to support the resolution. In March, the earlier version of the resolution only had Republican support, but there were not enough Democrats in the Senate chamber to defeat the measure because of absences.
Ending the resolution would have the wider effect of preventing a Biden administration plan to forgive up to $20,000 of some Americans’ student loan debts. The administration’s plan hinges on a law passed after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that grants it more power over the country’s student loan program in a national emergency.
The Biden administration’s plan has been challenged by a several conservative states, including the Attorneys General Derek Schmidt in Kansas and Eric Schmitt in Missouri. Schmitt was elected to the U.S. Senate last week.
Biden’s administration said he will veto Marshall’s resolution if it also passes the House. It released a statement Tuesday night opposing the resolution, saying it would prevent the government from responding to new strains of the virus.
“Preserving our ability to respond is more important than ever as we head into the winter, when respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 typically spread more easily,” the statement said. “Strengthened by the ongoing declaration of national emergency, the federal response to COVID-19 continues to save lives, improve health outcomes, and support the American economy.”
This story was originally published November 16, 2022 at 9:59 AM with the headline "Kansas Republican Roger Marshall’s resolution to end COVID-19 emergency passes Senate."
