Biden says Supreme Court will decide when COVID-19 emergency is over
President Biden told reporters, ""The Covid emergency will end when the Supreme Court ends it."
President Biden got up close and personal with NBC White House correspondent Kristen Welker as she asked him about his decision to end the federal COVID emergency.
Biden announced Monday his administration is ending the public health emergency that was first put in place by the Trump administration at the beginning of the pandemic.
But on a rainy Tuesday, the president took a moment to talk to the press, particularly Welker, who attempted to shout a question that was drowned out by the noise of Marine One.
Biden approached Welker, grabbed her hand and pulled her umbrella towards him to keep dry.
HOUSE IGNORES WHITE HOUSE OBJECTIONS, VOTES TO END COVID HEALTH EMERGENCY
President Joe Biden steps under NBC White House correspondent Kristen Welker's umbrella to answer questions on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and then on to New York. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
"What's behind your decision to end the COVID emergency?" Welker asked again.
"The COVID emergency will end when the Supreme Court ends it," Biden responded. "We've extended it to May the 15th to make sure we get everything done. That's all. There's nothing behind it at all."
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The president appeared to confuse the COVID emergency with the battle to end Title 42, a policy enacted by the Trump administration that turns away migrants at the southern border due to the pandemic, which the Biden administration is trying to reverse. The Supreme Court ruled to keep the policy in place at least until the spring.
President Biden held NBC correspondent Kristen Welker's hand as he stepped underneath her umbrella to answer her question. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
On Tuesday, Congress passed two bills. The Pandemic is Over Act, which would end the public health emergency, passed 220-210 in a vote that saw every Republican vote for it and every Democrat vote against it. But the Freedom for Health Care Workers Act, which would end the vaccination requirement for federal health care workers, passed 227-203 with help from seven Democrats.
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U.S. President Joe Biden reacts at the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. March 11, 2022. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
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The White House initially expressed opposition towards ending the COVID emergency and said it opposed the GOP's attempt to eliminate the vaccination requirement for health care workers and said Biden would veto the bill if it passed the House and the Senate.
"While COVID-19 is no longer the disruptive threat that it once was, it makes no sense for Congress to reverse this protection for vulnerable patients, as well as our health care workers who have given so much to protect us," the White House said.
Fox News' Peter Kasperowicz contributed to this report.