These House lawmakers broke from their parties on pandemic-related measures

A handful of House lawmakers broke from their parties in votes on two pandemic-related measures Wednesday, with some Democrats supporting both measures and a contingent of Republicans opposing one of them.

The first bill, dubbed the Stopping Home Office Work’s Unproductive Problems Act, passed in a 221-206 vote. The measure would mandate executive agencies to stop enforcing pandemic-era teleworking policies by ordering them to return to conditions that were in place in December 2019.

It would also prevent executive agencies from expanding their teleworking policies until the director of the Office of Personnel Management certifies their plans to do so.

Three Democrats voted for the measure despite leadership urging its members to oppose it: Reps. Josh Harder (Calif.), Kim Schrier (Wash.) and Susan Wild (Pa.).

One Republican — Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) — voted “no.”

The second measure taken up in the House on Wednesday was a joint resolution to immediately terminate the COVID-19 national emergency that former President Trump first declared in March 2020. House Republicans brought the measure to the floor despite President Biden announcing earlier this week that the declaration would expire on May 11.

The resolution is unlikely to move in the Democratic-controlled Senate. The Biden administration also issued a statement this week opposing the measure.

The House passed the resolution in a 229-197 vote. Eleven Democrats supported the measure even though leadership recommended a “no” vote: Reps. Angie Craig (Minn.), Don Davis (N.C.), Ruben Gallego (Ariz.), Jared Golden (Maine), Susie Lee (Nevada), Jared Moskowitz (Fla.), Chris Pappas (N.H.), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.), Pat Ryan (N.Y.), Mikie Sherrill (N.J.) and Abigail Spanberger (Va.).

All Republicans who voted supported the bill.

Moskowitz told The Hill in a statement that “it’s time to end the national emergency and return to normal.” He cited his experience as Florida’s director of emergency management in explaining his support of the measure.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) appointed Moskowitz to the post in 2019. He went on to play a role in the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As someone who has worked under the national emergency and under states of emergency as a Director of Emergency Management, we must end the emergency when it’s over to protect the legitimacy of it when it’s declared. What I will not support though is for us to cut social programs that worked during COVID and helped Americans in need,” he said.

— Updated at 8:51 p.m.

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