US House Passes Bill Terminating COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement for Foreign Travelers

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US House of Representatives passed a bill ending the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID-19 vaccine mandate for foreign travelers to the US.

House lawmakers passed the bill on Wednesday in a vote of 227-201, mostly along partisan lines. Seven Democrats joined all Republicans in favor of passing the bill.

"The CDC is still blocking international travelers from entering the United States if they are not vaccinated for COVID-19. This is wrong, and this needs to end," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said in a statement on the bill.

The House amended the bill to clarify that it does not impact the CDC’s order requiring a pre-departure COVID-19 test for people traveling from the People’s Republic of China.

On Tuesday, the White House Office of Management and Budget released a statement expressing the administration’s opposition to the bill. President Joe Biden could veto the legislation if it also passes the Senate.

However, during his State of the Union speech Tuesday evening, Biden also said that the COVID-19 pandemic "no longer controls our lives."

Earlier this month, the House passed bills repealing the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for health care workers in facilities receiving federal funds and ending emergencies declared over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden has said he intends to lift the national and public health emergencies for COVID-19 in May.