When it comes to Washington and emergencies, it's out with the old, in with the new.
The old are the national and public health emergencies declared by Donald Trump to fight Covid - 19 as it began its disastrous spread across the country in 2020. The House GOP will introduce two bills that would end the emergencies, because Republicans were always uneasy with the idea of restricting what Americans could do in a bid to halt transmission of the virus. Biden White House took some wind out of their sails by announcing that they plan to let both expire on May 11th, while warnings of a sudden termination could negatively affect everything from border security to health insurance.
We may be getting another emergency declared soon, regardless of how or when those emergencies end. Biden is a supporter of abortion rights, and Axios reports that his department of health and human services secretary Xavier Becerra is weighing a public health emergency aimed at ensuring Americans can continue to get abortions, even after the supreme court allowed states to ban the procedure completely last year. Such a declaration could make sure people are able to receive abortion medication no matter where they are, but may not be able to hold up in court.