Name: Major Conservative Groups Are Fueling A State-Level Push To Hamper COVID-19 Restrictions
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Major Conservative Groups Are Fueling A State-Level Push To Hamper COVID-19 Restrictions

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×U.S. EditionPart of HuffPost Politics. ©2022 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved.×AdvertisementMany of the bills proceeding in those states and others appear to be based at least partially on model legislation proposed by the American Legislative Exchange Council, an organization of thousands of state legislators and deep-pocketed corporate interests that has for years helped push conservative policy priorities on the state level, a HuffPost analysis of the bills found. AdvertisementFights between governors and legislatures have touched off political power struggles across the nation at a time when a AdvertisementDisaster declarations were the first major weapon governors deployed against the pandemic, and April marked the in American history that all 50 states had simultaneously declared a state of emergency. That status gave governors broader powers to implement restrictions, and in most states, they have been maintained or repeatedly extended throughout the pandemic. As a result, governors’ ability to maintain that status has become the main focus of conservative lawmakers nationwide. AdvertisementAdvertisementALEC has not shied away from its longstanding efforts to advance conservative legislative proposals through similar processes during the pandemic: Last May, it began circulating model legislation that would related to the pandemic, mirroring the effort by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on the federal level. The coalition, however, signaled its primary intent in the announcement of its founding: It wanted to weaponize concerns about the national debt, “limited government” and “fiscal responsibility” to push an agenda that would ultimately “incentivize the rapid rebuilding of our economy through proven formulas: tax cuts, deregulation, and lawsuit reform.” It would do it by pushing Americans across the country to “get in touch with elected officials at all levels of government,” FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon in a statement at the time.The coalition also helped foment protests against such restrictions outside state capitols across the country, , and the staff at FreedomWorks, in particular, focused almost entirely on pushing the effort. The demonstrations did not reflect public opinion, but they helped provide cover for Republican lawmakers who were seeking to challenge and roll back pandemic measures. AdvertisementWhether ALEC led the effort or drew inspiration from ongoing fights isn’t clear: The same week it posted its , AdvertisementAdvertisementRepublican governors who’ve refused to fully buy into conservative conspiracies around the 2020 election and the pandemic the next time they run, suggesting that ALEC and other conservative groups have once again helped spark an intra-party race to the right, all while they potentially exacerbate a public health crisis.“Republican divisions go beyond wild conspiracy theories and primary politics,” said David Turner, a spokesperson for the Democratic Governors Association, which has pushed back against GOP efforts to target its elected executives. “Now, it’s affecting the ability of governors to protect the lives of their constituents. If you wanted evidence the GOP base is living on an entirely different planet, it couldn’t be clearer than this.”Republicans, however, continue to insist that this is a fight to protect the power of the legislatures they control: Emergency powers, GOP lawmakers in Pennsylvania and Kentucky , were never intended to be wielded for crises that last this long. They have argued that no single lawmaker should have this much power and that they are trying to ensure legislatures maintain a voice in the process. Governors from both parties are “using their executive powers to levels that have never been done before,” said Pennsylvania state Senate President Pro Tem Jake Corman (R). “Obviously this pandemic has taught us a lot, and it really isn’t about the pandemic itself. It’s about separation of powers and should the executive have this much authority and power for this extended period of time.” , Corman argued that the GOP’s efforts to limit executive powers in Pennsylvania were meant to foster more communication with legislators.AdvertisementBut health experts like Benjamin are skeptical that most governors have wielded their authority improperly and are fearful that hasty attempts to limit emergency powers now will worsen both this crisis and the next one. Instead, he suggested that legislatures and governors wait until after the pandemic is fully over to reassess how those powers were used and whether they should be altered. “It is their right to review this,” Benjamin said. “But they ought not do it without a real thoughtful review of the pros and cons, and not do it because... they’re mad at a particular governor or mayor because they shut down the economy.”“This is not the last disease outbreak we’re going to have,” he said. “The more you weaken the authority of public health officials to do this kind of stuff, the more they weaken the ability to govern, and to protect the public.” A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus Suggest a correctionNewsletter Sign UpHuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox.Successfully Subscribed!Realness delivered to your inbox

×U.S. EditionPart of HuffPost Politics. ©2022 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved.×AdvertisementMany of the bills proceeding in those states and others appear to be based at least partially on model legislation proposed by the American Legislative Exchange Council, an organization of thousands of state legislators and deep-pocketed corporate interests that has for years helped push conservative policy priorities on the state level, a HuffPost analysis of the bills found. AdvertisementFights between governors and legislatures have touched off political power struggles across the nation at a...

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Travis Waldron

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Major Conservative Groups Are Fueling A State-Level Push To Hamper COVID-19 Restrictions

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