Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 185

By: Office of Management and Budget Communications

While COVID-19 is no longer the disruptive threat that it once was, the Administration opposes Congressional action to reverse the vaccination requirement for noncitizen nonimmigrants entering the United States by air.  This policy has allowed loved ones across the globe to reunite while reducing the spread of COVID-19 and the burdens it places on the health care system in the United States.  

The Administration has the authority to place restrictions on the entry of noncitizens to the United States, and prior Administrations have done so for decades in a number of contexts.  In October 2021, the President issued Proclamation 10294, “Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic.”  This Proclamation rescinded the country-by-country restrictions that had previously applied during the COVID-19 pandemic and replaced those restrictions with a global air travel policy that relied primarily on vaccination to ensure that international air travel to the United States could resume safely. 

The President issued this Proclamation based on advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  As we approach the end of the public health emergency, the Administration will review all relevant policies, including this one.  Just as the establishment of this public health policy was guided by science, any termination or modification of this policy should be as well.  A vote for this bill undercuts that critical principle.