Senate GOP pushes to nix emergency status

Senate Republicans on Thursday passed a resolution to nix the coronavirus national public health emergency, their second win in as many days amid Democratic absences.

Senators voted 48-47 on the resolution, spearheaded by Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), a day after they were also able to pass a measure to nix President Biden’s vaccine requirement for health care workers.

“I would ask him to listen to the people and end this declaration of emergency,” Marshall said in an appeal to Biden ahead of the vote.

Both votes were party line, but Republicans were able to exploit Democratic absences. Three Democratic senators were absent — Sens. Mark Kelly (Ariz.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) and Alex Padilla (Calif.) — compared to two absences for Republicans — Sens. James Inhofe (Okla.) and Richard Burr (N.C.) — effectively giving the GOP a majority in the chamber.

But the resolution, like the vaccine mandate vote, is going nowhere in the Democratic-controlled House. The administration also vowed ahead of the vote that if it reached Biden’s desk, he would veto it.