Gov. Reynolds calls for end to Federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) - Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and 24 other Republican governors are calling on President Joe Biden to end the Federal Public Health Emergency for COVID-19.

Biden extended the emergency until at least January 11, and is expected to extend it again until April.

In a letter, the governors urged the president to let it expire, arguing it will give states several months to prepare for the end of the emergency.

In a statement, Governor Reynolds said the Public Health Emergency was extended, despite Biden himself stating the pandemic was over more than four months ago.

“The PHE is negatively affecting states, primarily by artificially growing our population covered under Medicaid, regardless of whether individuals continue to be eligible under the program,” Gov. Reynolds said in the statement. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, states have added 20 million individuals to the Medicaid rolls, an increase of 30-percent, and those numbers continue to climb as the PHE continues to be extended every 90 days.”

Reynolds went on to say that we now have the tools and information necessary to help protect Iowans from COVID-19.

“We have returned to life as normal and it is time the federal government’s policies reflected that,” Gov. Reynolds said.

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