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Floor Speech

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Mr. MARSHALL. Madam President, I rise today in order to ask for unanimous consent to pass S.J. Res. 63, a resolution to terminate the COVID-19 national emergency declaration. It has been more than 2\1/2\ years since the national emergency concerning the novel coronavirus disease outbreak was declared, and it has been extended now twice already by President Biden since the initial proclamation, most recently in February of this year.

It is this declaration, coupled with other additional emergency powers currently invoked by the President, which this administration is using to supersize government in order to continue their reckless, inflationary spending spree and enact their radical, partisan agenda. In fact, the White House uses these emergencies to justify their inflationary, out-of-control spending, their unconstitutional vaccine and mask mandates, and to forgive student loans.

This is not the first time I have come to the floor to terminate this emergency declaration. In fact, in March, I brought an identical resolution to this floor under the expedited procedures contained in the National Emergencies Act that passed this body by a vote of 48 to 47. At that time, the status of the virus in this Nation had greatly improved since the dark, early days of the pandemic. Everyone ages 12 and over was eligible for a booster shot if they wanted further inoculation. More than 550 million shots had been administered in the United States, with 215 million people being fully vaccinated. Two oral anti-virals had been made available for certain patients, and monoclonal antibody treatments were available for those at high risk of becoming seriously ill.

Fast-forward to today, 6 months later, and the status of our immunity and ability to fight the virus in the United States has improved further still. More than 660 million doses have been administered, and 225 million people are fully vaccinated--nearly 70 percent of the population. If you include natural immunity, immunity gained through natural infection, the CDC stated just last month that approximately 95 percent of Americans over the age of 16 have some acquired level of immunity. Everyone ages 12 and older can receive Omicron-specific boosters, and we have a growing roster of anti-viral drugs and monoclonal antibodies that are helping vulnerable populations avoid life-threatening infections.

Now, this is not the time to ignore the individuals still struggling with COVID or those who are tragically dying with the virus, but it does demonstrate that we have made major advances in our fight against COVID-19 and entered a less dire, more endemic phase. In fact, even President Biden recently acknowledged during a ``60 Minutes'' interview that the ``pandemic is over.''

Of course, the President's handlers immediately walked back this claim to argue that the pandemic is, in fact, not over. But why? Why would the Federal officials calling the shots in the executive branch not want to declare this pandemic over? Because it is the fearmongering and the robust authorities provided by the emergency declaration that allow this administration to justify infringing upon your rights and validates their continued expansion of inflationary government spending and social programs.

It was this government-imposed state of emergency that justified their continued lockdowns of small businesses and schools. It was this government-imposed state of emergency that justified their vaccine and mask mandates that continue to this day in too many instances. It was this government-imposed state of emergency that justified President Biden's and congressional Democrats' inflationary spending binge, starting with the $1.19 trillion American Rescue Plan last year and their curiously and inappropriately named Inflation Reduction Act this summer. Most recently, it was the national emergency declaration that allowed the President to extend the payment pause and cancel up to $10,000 in outstanding federally held student loan balances and $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients.

This rallying cry of the far left that the President is pandering to will cost the Federal Government $420 billion--$420 billion--according to the Congressional Budget Office. The Wall Street Journal called the move ``an unprecedented act of peacetime fiscal recklessness.'' And every American knows this is inflationary.

This is exactly the problem. The Biden administration is keeping Americans under the strain of the national emergency declaration as if we are not living in a time of peace, as if we are living in a time of war that requires the full force of the Federal Government--rights and fiscal responsibility be damned--in order to respond to this crisis.

In order to rein in this massive expansion of government, to slow down inflation, and restore Americans' fundamental rights, we must take the important step of terminating the COVID-19 national emergency declaration. I encourage all my colleagues to join me in supporting doing so.

Res. 63 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration. I further ask that the joint resolution be read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

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Mr. MARSHALL. I certainly appreciate the chairman's comments and his sincere commitment. We certainly share some of the same goals.

Practicing medicine in rural Kansas for 25 years, we have been faced with physician shortages for decades, with nursing shortages for decades, and we both agree that is a problem. But the difference is, I don't think that the government is the solution to the problem; I think that the government has created the problem, that physicians and nurses are so tired of dealing with all the redtape, all the continuing burden that the ACA has put on us.

I am so proud of the doctors and nurses. When this country called for them in an emergency, we--including myself--volunteered, rushing to the frontlines of the emergency rooms to take care of patients. Now this Congress is going to reward them with a pay cut, by the way.

But this is not the solution to the doctor shortages or the nurse shortages. The solution is to respect the profession, to remove some of the redtape. Allow us to be doctors and nurses. Don't make us be tied down with issues like prior authorization, which I know your committee is seriously considering as well. We appreciate your work on that as well.

Certainly, I do have people who come to my townhalls--and, like you, we have been to 100 counties in the past 2 years. We have five left to go. And what people ask me is: Why do our kids in the Head Start Programs still need to wear a mask? Do they do any good? Why are there still vaccine mandates out there? Why is this government continuing inflationary spending?

It is my feeling that this emergency declaration allows the President and the White House to expand those powers to take our constitutional rights away from us.

You know, again, I have encouraged people to take the vaccine and do all the right things. But I still think it is time to end the emergency. Give us our God-given constitutional rights back. I think we should support ending this declaration of emergency.

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