Senate lawmakers voted on Tuesday to end the federal government’s emergency declaration on the Covid-19 pandemic, a status that has given the Biden administration tools to combat the coronavirus.
The Senate voted 62-36 to end the emergency declaration nearly three years after it was invoked. It’s unclear if the House will take up the measure.
President Biden threatened to veto any congressional efforts to end the national emergency declaration’s status, said the Office of Management and Budget in a statement.
The declaration has allowed the administration to take actions in response to the pandemic such as suspend student loan payment deadlines
Under federal law, Congress has the power to ask for periodic votes to terminate the emergency status.
