Ted Cruz Applauds Delta Air Lines ‘For Having the Courage to Say NO to the Federal Vaccine Mandate’

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said in a recent interview that being the only U.S. carrier to hold off on enforcing a coronavirus vaccine mandate for employees has been an effective tactic for vaccination rates and compliance.

Bastian told host Liz Claman, “The reason the mandate was put in by president, I believe, was because they wanted to make sure companies had a plan to get their employees vaccinated.”

“A month before the president came out with the mandate, we had already announced our plan to get all of our people vaccinated. And the good news is the plan is working,” Bastian explained.

U.S. Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) was one of several conservatives to applaud Bastian for refusing the go along with the Biden plan and give his employees an option.

Cruz said in a tweet, “Bravo to ⁦@Delta⁩ for having the courage to say NO to the federal vaccine mandate.”

“It’s the right thing to do—to respect the right of their employees to make their own personal decisions about their own healthcare,” Cruz added.

Bravo to ⁦@Delta⁩ for having the courage to say NO to the federal vaccine mandate.

It’s the right thing to do—to respect the right of their employees to make their own personal decisions about their own healthcare. https://t.co/6QEQoqA4mP

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 16, 2021

Buzz Patterson also commended the flight carrier in a tweet where he urged, “Glad to see my former employer @Delta not complying with Biden’s vaccine mandate. ‘Fly Delta jets.'”

Glad to see my former employer @Delta not complying with Biden’s vaccine mandate. “Fly Delta jets.”

— Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) October 16, 2021

In a another recent interview, with Reuters, Bastian had harsh words regarding the mandate as he declared, “Mandate is only one way to get people vaccinated, It’s a very blunt instrument.”

In his interview with Claman, Bastian used similar language as he asserted, “By the time we’re done, we’ll be pretty close to fully vaccinated as a company without going through all the divisiveness of a mandate.”

“We’re proving that you can work collaboratively with your people, trusting your people to make the right decisions, respecting their decisions and not forcing them over the loss of their jobs,” Bastian stated.

DEVELOPING – Delta Air Lines steps away from "divisive" #COVID19 vaccine mandate, CEO Ed Bastian announces #FoxBusiness pic.twitter.com/9QieSKeakI

— Andrea Jackson FOX 35 📺🇺🇸 (@AJacksonTV) October 16, 2021