Biden ends COVID national emergency after Congress acts

FILE – President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology in the State Dining Room of the White House on April 4, 2023, in Washington. The U.S. national emergency to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic ended Monday, April 10, as Biden signed a bipartisan congressional resolution to bring it to a close after three years — weeks before it was set to expire alongside a separate public health emergency. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. national emergency to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic has ended. On Monday, President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan congressional resolution to bring the national emergency to a close after three years — weeks before it was set to expire alongside a separate public health emergency. The national emergency allowed the government to take sweeping steps to respond to the virus and support the country’s economic, health and welfare systems. Some of the emergency measures have already been successfully wound-down, while others are still being phased out. The public health emergency underpins tough immigration restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border, and is set to expire on May 11.