The conflict reached a new level Thursday when a bipartisan group of senators
introduced legislation to block the CDC from lifting the public health order, known as Title 42. Now both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue must navigate a fraught issue that has already bogged down a $10 billion Covid relief package and could help determine control of the Senate in November.
The five Democrats co-sponsoring the bill include a trio of moderates—Senators Kyrsten Sinema, Joe Manchin, and John Tester—and two others facing difficult reelections, Mark Kelly and Maggie Hassan. An additional pair of senators locked in toss-up races, Raphael Warnock and Catherine Cortez Masto, are not co-sponsoring the bill but have also
criticized the administration’s decision to lift Title 42. A bipartisan group of House members introduced
companion legislation in that chamber this week.