by BRAD POLUMBO
After more than two years, the rollout of effective vaccines for all who want them, and much anguish, the public has moved on from COVID-19 .
Although the virus tragically continues to take lives, some degree of COVID-19 prevalence is likely our new normal, hence why just 1% of voters now list COVID-19 as their priority issue. It no longer even ranks in the top 10.
But the Biden administration is simply unwilling to let go of the emergency — and its “emergency” powers. The president is reportedly planning on extending the pandemic emergency declaration, originally implemented in January 2020 under former President Donald Trump, yet again after it was set to expire on July 15.
Why extend the declaration even though the “emergency” is clearly long over?
Well, the White House says it’s doing this, in part, to preserve essential regulatory exceptions implemented under emergency authorization, such as increased telehealth availability and the approval of vaccines and treatments under emergency use authorizations. And those are indeed important reforms. But, according to the Wall Street Journal, the Biden administration could preserve them all using other executive authorities even if the president did allow the emergency powers to lapse.
The real reason this White House won’t give up its “temporary” emergency powers is much more sinister — and partisan. It’s simple: The forever-emergency status quo is allowing them to keep millions of ineligible people on welfare programs such as Medicaid and food stamps.
“In March 2020 Congress barred states from kicking ineligible people off Medicaid rolls during the emergency in return for more federal funding,” the Wall Street Journal editorial board explains . “Medicaid enrollment has ballooned to 95 million — 30% of Americans are now enrolled — from 71 million in December 2019.”
“Another reason: Congress in March 2020 suspended food-stamp work requirements during the emergency and sweetened benefits in states that maintained their own declarations,” it continues. “As of April, 41.2 million Americans were receiving food stamps — an average of $228 monthly per person — which is about 4.4 million more than before the pandemic.”
We can have a broader debate about the vast welfare state, but we’re all supposed to agree that legally ineligible people shouldn’t be receiving taxpayer dollars. Yet clearly, many are. According to the Foundation for Government Accountability, 20% — yes, 1 in 5 — of Medicaid dollars are improperly spent. (And that was before the pandemic and all these rule removals.)
So, it’s entirely safe to say that by preserving the emergency declaration, President Joe Biden is keeping millions of legally ineligible people plugged into the welfare state. This is costing taxpayers countless billions , and the White House is only able to get away with it because of its abuse of the emergency powers.
This is unacceptable.
We have a white house steward who has as the agenda, the destruction of America as we have known it. This is not bidens doings, he cannot function as a sentient human being let along the demands of the office of President.
This is a cabal of obamaites who were defeated in 2016 and have now returned in a tsunami to complete what they had intended to do in 2016-2020. The actions taken by this admin are not the actions of a feckless, demented and mind crippled old man. This is an enemy from within the likes of which has never been seen in America. Those who are in a position militarily who have sworn an oath to protect and defend, have conceded their oaths.
We are about to be in a revolution not unlike 1776 where it will be patriots who step forward to defend the citizenry from the tyranny inflicted by those in power.
The only thing the federal government controlled by Democrats can do consistently and well is WASTE money. The trillions in desperately needed COVID aid hasn’t been spent or went to such trash as CRT and tranny training in schools. No telling how many billions we are spending on a vaccine that is no longer effective in preventing infection. Get a load of the CDC study for using the vaccine on children; it’s either 99% effecting in preventing infection or 370% CAUSING infection… we don’t know which. But, line em up and poke em with the needle! It’s only money. And health. And lives.
sadwe