Walsh Calls for Gov. Inslee to End State of Emergency, Citing Fauci Statement

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Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, released a statement Thursday calling for Gov. Jay Inslee “to stop inflicting hardship on the people of this state. It’s time for him to stop governing by emergency mandate and edict. It’s time for him to end his COVID emergency declaration.”

In his release, Walsh pointed to recent comments by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in which Dr. Fauci described the pandemic as having ended.

In his release, Walsh said, “Governor Inslee needs to end his COVID emergency declaration immediately and surrender all related emergency powers granted to him by the people of Washington.”



Walsh added that in the past, Inslee had cited Fauci’s statements as a basis for the state’s COVID-19 response and that, in light of Fauci’s recent statement regarding the end of the pandemic, the governor should now end the state of emergency.

“Washingtonians have been suffering under the current governor's state of emergency for nearly 800 days. They have endured hardships, both economic and constitutional. Family members trying to visit loved ones in hospitals have suffered. State employees have suffered. Nurses, firefighters and other first responders have suffered. Meanwhile, the rest of the United States has returned to normal government. And to everyday life,” Walsh said in concluding his statement, “It’s time for Gov. Inslee to stop inflicting hardship on the people of this state. It’s time for him to stop governing by emergency proclamation, mandate and edict. It’s time for him to end his COVID emergency declaration.”