Congresswoman Liz Cheney issued a statement on Thursday after signing a discharge petition to bring H.R. 471, the Protecting Americans from Unnecessary Spread upon Entry from COVID-19 Act of 2021, to the House floor.

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The PAUSE Act would keep in place Title 42 enforcement at the U.S border and would receive a floor vote if 218 members sign on to the discharge petition.

There are currently 209 Republicans in the House.

The bill was introduced on Jan. 15, 2021, and was referred to the Subcommittee on Health on Feb. 02, 2021, with no other action being taken since.

It has 94 cosponsors that are all Republican, with Cheney not among the sponsors.

The Biden Administration announced that they will be lifting Title 42 on May 23.

Cheney said:

"It is essential that we secure our southern border. The open-border policies of the Biden Administration led to record-high illegal border crossings in 2021 and we're on pace to exceed those numbers this year," Cheney said. "In order to limit these illegal crossings and protect the security of our nation, I'm proud to join a discharge petition on this commonsense legislation that ensures our southern border and public health remain safe by continuing enforcement of Title 42."

The specific provision Cheney hopes will stay in place, Title 42, was implemented at the beginning of the pandemic by former President Donald Trump which allows the U.S. Border Patrol to expel any immigrants they encounter without going through the usual process.

Since being implemented in March 2020, Title 42 has been used to expel over 1.7 million people trying to enter the U.S. at the southern border, which included 16,000 unaccompanied minors, before being blocked by a judge in November 2020.

While the main thrust of those seeking to enter the U.S. has come through the southern border, on the Canadian side in the north around 15,000 people have also been expelled using Title 42.

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