The Biden administration on Wednesday again renewed the COVID-19 public health emergency, a provision that gives the administration authorities to respond to the pandemic as cases are again on the rise. Becerra renewed the COVID-19 public health emergency because “there’s still a lot of COVID out there, and the public health emergency and his determination gives us tools to fight this,” White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota. However, the federal government spending law enacted last month decoupled several major relief measures from the public health emergency. Also, the federal government has been providing enhanced food stamp benefits to millions of Americans during the public health emergency. Additional information about public health emergency declarations, including frequently asked questions, can be found on our website,” an HHS spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.

Source: CNN January 11, 2023 22:59 UTC