Senators challenge Biden vaccine mandate

November 5, 2021 Bob Bakken

U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) have announced they have joined a Congressional Review Act (CRA) challenge to stop President Joe Biden’s mandate requiring private businesses to require COVID-19 vaccines for their employees.

The CRA, the official process for Congress to eliminate an Executive Branch rule, will be filed immediately after the Biden administration issues its final rule to mandate vaccines for all employees who work at private businesses with 100 or more workers. The rule, expected to be published this week, is also expected to outline $14,000 fines for persons who do not comply.

“President Biden’s unconstitutional federal vaccine mandates are an extreme abuse of power that puts Americans’ livelihoods in the crosshairs,” Wicker said. “In addition, the mandate threatens to wreck the economy. A large percentage of American workers will simply leave the workforce rather than be told what to do by the federal governent. This legislation would overturn the President’s mandate on private employers and protect millions of hardworking Americans from an intrusion on their personal liberty.”

“The United States is not China or some other tyrannical country. President Biden exceeded his authority in his rush to force the vaccines on the American people,” Hyde-Smith said. “I believe the COVID-19 vaccines save lives, but I also trust the American people to make the best medical decisions for themselves and their families at this point in the pandemic.”

The CRA will be filed on the basis that the Biden mandate is a highly inappropriate invasion of what should be a personal medical decision for every American, and that it could worsen labor shortages and supply chain disruptions.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will promulgate an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to implement President Biden’s vaccine mandate for 80 million private sector workers, as well as additional mandates on millions of federal workers and contractors.

The mandate is expected to force private-sector employers with more than 100 employees to become vaccinated or produce at-least-weekly negative test results before coming to work. The administration’s vaccine mandate rule for federal employee and contractor plan does not include a weekly testing option.

U.S. Senator Mike Braun (R-Ind.) is leading the CRA, which is currently cosponsored by 40 Republican Senators. U.S. Representative Fred Keller (R-Pa.) will introduce a House companion measure.

Hyde-Smith posted her comments about the Biden move on her YouTube channel.