Group of GOP Senators Put Schumer on Notice That They Intend to Block Funding for COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

According to a Fox Business exclusive, a group of Republican senators yesterday sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y), expressing their intention to block federal funding for the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

On Sept. 9, President Joe Biden announced plans to require businesses with more than 100 employees to mandate COVID-19 vaccines or weekly testing for workers.

U.S. Sen Roger Marshall (R-KS) led the charge and stated in the letter, “…We will oppose all efforts to implement and enforce it with every tool at our disposal, including our votes on spending measures considered by the Senate.”

“To be sure, we agree that countless Americans have benefitted from the protection offered by the COVID-19 vaccines,” the Senators admitted in the letter.

The senators explained, “Nevertheless, the decision whether to be vaccinated against COVID-19 is a highly personal one that should never be forced upon individuals by the federal government.”

Marshall, who practiced medicine in Great Bend, Kansas, for 25 years as an OB/GYN and also owned a small business, and other Republicans point to the potential COVID-19 vaccine requirement as a hurdle for small businesses to attract and retain employees amid pandemic-related supply chain and worker shortages.

The group of senators cited potential frontline worker losses that could result from such a mandate, including reductions in police officers, medical workers, truckers, pilots and military service members across the U.S.

“President Biden is waging a cruel campaign to punish unvaccinated Americans—depriving them of their ability to provide for their families. This is nothing short of immoral,” the senators insisted.

The senators added that “There are so many humane ways to defeat this virus. Depriving law-abiding citizens of their livelihood must not be included among them.”

U.S. Sens Mike Lee (UT), Ted Cruz (TX), and Jim Inhofe (OK) were among ten Republican senators had signed the letter as of yesterday afternoon.

From Fox Business:

Marshall and other senators ask that Schumer be advised that before the end of the current spending period on Dec. 3, they “will not support—and will use all means at our disposal to oppose—legislation that funds or in any way enables the enforcement of President Biden’s employer vaccine mandate.” 

Republican senators will also refuse to “vote for or support cloture on any continuing resolution in the absence of language protecting Americans from this action,” the letter states.

Additionally, more than three dozen Senate Republicans led by Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana moved to formally disapprove and nullify President Biden’s vaccine mandate on private employees Wednesday under the Congressional Review Act — the official process for Congress to eliminate an executive branch rule.

Biden’s proposed vaccine mandate is anticipated to impact more than 80 million private-sector workers across the United States. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is expected to publish the formal mandate.

Today, the Biden administration rolled out vaccine rules covering more than 100 million workers, one of which is that by Jan. 4, companies must ensure that their workers are either fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or that they test negative for COVID-19 at least once a week.

The employers must give employees paid time off, although it was also reported that they don’t need to pay for testing.