FreedomWorks’ Bill of the Month for April 2022: H.R. 741, the PAUSE Act

President Joe Biden can’t seem to decide what his administration’s policy is regarding COVID-19. On the one hand, he is eager to declare victory and roll back pandemic era policies; on the other, he is drawn in by the most radical voices within his own party to keep policies the left finds preferential.

This is no surprise as Biden has a well-documented history of caving in to the most radical voices within his party when it most suits him. Look no further than the Biden Administration’s decision to unilaterally extend the eviction moratorium–despite its blatant unconstitutionality– due to pressure from the socialist squad.

Amid a border crisis of his own making, Biden is now choosing to scrap policies that secure our borders and protect public health. Simultaneously, Biden is extending policies similarly enacted to combat COVID-19 but are preferred by the left.

It is precisely for this reason that Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.) introduced H.R. 471, the Protecting Americans from Unnecessary Spread upon Entry from COVID–19 (PAUSE) Act. If enacted, this bill would prevent the Secretary of Health and Human Services from taking actions that remove, or lessen the stringency of, the COVID–19 border health provisions until federal and state governments formally end the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The Details

• The Biden administration recently announced that it would end Title 42, a Trump-era CDC order designed to keep COVID-19 from being imported across the United States borders.
• Even Democrats such as Senators Maggie Hassan, Jon Tester, Joe Manchin, Mark Kelly, and Kyrsten Sinema are raising the alarm about the consequences of this move by Biden.
• Despite Biden’s sudden shift to move away from pandemic era policies, his administration extended the pause on student loan repayment and the travel mask mandate.
• The pandemic of political convenience is not constrained to the White House alone. Despite ending the mask mandate and moving to reopen the Capitol, Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues to extend proxy voting. Proxy voting is the practice of lawmakers outsourcing their votes to other members to moonlight as airline pilots and attend donor meetings.

Why it Matters

As Biden uses COVID-19 as an excuse to extend mask mandates on airplanes and the moratorium on student loan payments, the CDC is lifting its order to allow for the expedited removal of illegal immigrants coming into the country. It is precisely this inconsistency that continues to sow distrust in our public health institutions.

It’s fantastic to see the left finally move on from COVID hysteria, but they can’t pick and choose what policies to end based on the desires of their radical base. Currently, the PAUSE Act has 94 cosponsors. Hopefully, more lawmakers will recognize the importance of calling out the hypocrisy of the Biden administration.