Marc Molinaro: “I thank my colleague for yielding time. There is a reason that nearly every other level of government in America has…”

“I thank my colleague for yielding time. There is a reason that nearly every other level of government in America has ceased to exercise executive authority. The emergency is over. Mr. Speaker, 1,100 days ago, the President declared a public health emergency. We know this. Since then, that order has been extended a dozen times, including twice after President Biden declared the pandemic over during a ``60 Minutes'' interview on national television. Mr. Speaker, 1,100 days ago, the public health emergency was warranted. I know this. I lived it as a county executive where I took immediate emergency action to protect our most vulnerable and help to save lives. I saw firsthand the flexibilities granted under such an emergency, expanding access to care and services during a time of essential need. I also simultaneously saw how the absolute power granted within such an order corrupted New York State government and enabled Governors and the President to choose who was and was not essential. It is important that we find bipartisan solutions and agreements to extend those efficiencies and flexibilities we like, but it is past time to end the executive and Presidential overreach. Emergency executive authority should be limited and only for extraordinary circumstances. This is no longer an extraordinary circumstance.”