Peters, Stabenow split on ending COVID-19 emergency

Often times, Michigan’s congressional delegation votes down party lines. But on House Resolution 7, a bill to terminate the three-year-long COVID-19 national emergency, senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, both Democrats, split from one another.

Peters voted yes on the bill, which end the emergency. He was part of a majority of 68 senators who voted yes.

Stabenow was one of 23 senators who voted no, which would continue the emergency. 

Nine others did not vote, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is still recovering from injuries from a fall earlier this month.

Stabenow has been consistent in voting against ending the COVID emergency; she was on the short end of a 62-36 vote last November, in the previous Congress, to “terminate” the national emergency.

Peters has changed. Peters was also a no vote in November. Now he has voted to terminate a national emergency President Joe Biden said would end in May. Peters did not respond to a CapCon request for comment.

Read the bill for yourself

The same day the national COVID emergency ends, May 11, the COVID task force will disband.

House Resolution 7 passed in the U.S. House Feb. 1 by a 229-197 vote. Michigan’s congressional delegation opposed the measure, 7-6, in a party-line vote. Combining House representatives and senators, the Michigan delegation voted 8-7 against terminating the covid emergency.

Related reading: How Michigan reps voted on ending COVID-19 emergency

Now that the bill has passed the Senate, it will head to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law.