Lankford: It is Nonsensical to Say There is COVID Health Emergency Everywhere But the Southern Border

CLICK HERE to watch Lankford’s remarks on YouTube.

CLICK HERE to watch Lankford’s remarks on Rumble.

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today offered an amendment to Democrats’ tax and spending spree, named the “Inflation Reduction Act,” even though there is no clear evidence that the bill will reduce inflation. The amendment would take $1 million out of the Affordable Care Act slush fund for FY 2023 and use it to maintain Title 42 authority. The bill failed by a vote of 50-50. 

Lankford is leading the charge to push back on the Biden Administration’s plans to revoke temporary, pandemic-related Title 42 authority, Lankford introduced the Public Health and Border Security Act to require all COVID-19 related national states of emergency to be lifted before Title 42 is officially terminated until a workable plan to replace it is put in place. Democratic Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined in support of this bill.  

Transcript: 

The Biden Administration continues to declare that we are in had a public health emergency because of COVID-19. This public health emergency first declared in January 2020 has been renewed ten times. Title 42 is the health authority specifically designed to prevent people from coming into the country during a pandemic. It is nonsensical to say that we have a COVID health emergency everywhere but on our southern border. If there is a public health emergency in this country, then Title 42 authority must remain in place. Title 42 authority is the last line of defense that our border patrol agents have to protect our nation, and my Democratic colleagues said they agreed with that idea back in April. The situation has only worsened since that time, so surely they’ll agree with me more today. I urge the adoption of this amendment that we would remain consistent with Title 42 authority in this nation. 

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