In a recent interview with 60 Minutes, President Biden said the words everyone has been waiting for, “The pandemic is over.” Hallelujah! Burn the masks, head back to the offices….wait what…oh it’s not over? But…but he just said it was!
That’s right President Biden’s remarks have since been catching criticism from his own administration in the white house, Dr. Fauci, and even the mainstream media. His remarks surprised his own health advisers. Dr. Fauci stated, “We are not where we need to be if we are going to quote ‘live with the virus.’” But why such the push back? Shouldn’t declaring the pandemic over something we should all be celebrating?
Well for one if the pandemic is certainly over, so is the Public Health Emergency; implemented in January of 2020 and set to run until October 13th of this year. That means all the TEMPORARY policies enacted will have to stop as well. That would mean some 15 million will lose Medicaid coverage, the entire reason for a student loan repayment pause would end, and Trump-era border restrictions; still held in place by a court, would disappear.
The Biden administration told CNN that the President’s remarks do not mean a change in policy on how the virus is being handled and there is no plan to lift the Public Health Emergency at this time. It doesn’t take a gender studies major to figure out why such the push back. If the administration officially deems the pandemic over, it could pose problems in seeking additional funding for Covid-19—and the White House just sent a funding request to Congress.
In the request, funds were asked for such items as Ukraine, Covid-19, monkeypox, and natural disaster recovery. This included a $22.4 billion dollar for testing, treatment, and vaccines—unclear if this includes boosters or not. Denying the pandemic could also downplay the need to get vaccinated and quadruple boosted, which has been an ongoing battle for a majority of the public.
Just back in April Dr. Fauci himself stated the pandemic state of the virus was over while speaking to PBS Newshour. However, the next day he told CNN “We’re not over the pandemic. Don’t let anybody get the misinterpretation that the pandemic is over, but what we are in is a different phase of the pandemic.”
This wasn’t the only remark Biden’s administration has walked back on him. In the same interview, the President was asked US’s stance on Taiwan if China should indeed invade. President Biden responded with a “Yes,” not just once but twice. The White House has since come out saying President Biden was answering a hypothetical question, and his response does not indeed mean a change in US policy. Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser, reiterated that the White House stands behind the “One China” policy.
Under the “One China” policy the US acknowledges China’s position that Taiwan is part of China but has never officially recognized the Communist Party’s claim to the self-governing island. The US provides Taiwan with weapons but is always ambivalent on whether the US military would lend aid if China did indeed invade. And this isn’t the first time the White House has had to walk back Biden’s remarks on Taiwan.
So, in conclusion the pandemic is apparently NOT over, and the US military WON’T help Taiwan if China decides to invade. Anyone else confused yet? It begs the question, “If President Biden isn’t in charge during this administration…then who really is?” And we are expected to believe everything they say…I’m just not buying it.