US President Joe Biden remarks on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) before receiving a second COVID-19 booster vaccination in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House on March 30, 2022 in Washington, US.
Kevin Lamarck | reuters
The Biden administration plans to end the COVID public health emergency this spring, which would mark a major turning point in the US response to the pandemic.
The White House said in a statement on Monday that it would end both the May 11 public health emergency and the national emergency declared by the Trump administration in 2020.
The statement from the Office of Management and Budget came in response to two pieces of legislation introduced by House Republicans, both seeking to end emergency declarations.
The OMB said that abruptly ending emergency declarations in the manner set out in the Republican law would “create widespread chaos and uncertainty across the health care system.”
Emergency declarations have enabled hospitals and nursing homes to respond more flexibly when faced with spikes in patient volume during a COVID surge.
OMB said that ending the announcements without giving hospitals time to adjust “will likely result in delays in care and payment, and many facilities across the country will experience revenue losses.”
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