Lawmakers Respond to Federal Vaccine Mandates
President Biden’s recently signed Executive Orders requiring covid-19 vaccination for federal employees and requiring contractors comply with all Safer Federal Workforce Task Force guidance applicable to federal employees. These vaccine mandates have been met with mixed reactions from federal lawmakers.
Furthermore, as a part of President Biden’s comprehensive national strategy to tackle the pandemic, the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is instructed to ensure all employers that have greater than 100 employees require employees receive a COVID-19 vaccine or provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test.
Democrat lawmakers lauded the new move by President Biden, agreeing that is the best way to protect the federal workforce. House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) explained, “With high numbers of coronavirus cases across the country caused by the Delta variant, especially in regions with low vaccination rates, the Biden administration is taking a crucial step to protect American lives and slow the virus’ spread.”
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), who has the largest number of federal employees as constituents in his District, affirmed this sentiment. He said, “The rise in cases and deaths with the Delta variant is deeply tragic and frustrating because it was completely avoidable. Given the choice between allowing this virus to continue to spread, which would mean many thousands more preventable deaths and vast harm to our economy, and comprehensive action to protect the country, President Biden has rightly chosen the latter.”
In contrast, Republican lawmakers have stated that the vaccine mandate is not the most efficient way to increase vaccination rates in the U.S. Rep. James Comer (R-KY) stated, “Efforts to take away personal freedoms are the wrong way to go about getting more people vaccinated and moving out of the ongoing COVID crisis. Instead, we need to look at what’s behind many Americans’ concerns, much of which is a consequence of ambiguous and even outright false statements about COVID from the Biden administration and Dr. [Anthony] Fauci.”
Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA) furthered, “Vaccine mandates with no exceptions are insane. This White House is mixing politics with medicine—a toxic combination. Ultimately, vaccines (and any medical treatment) should be a decision made between patients and doctors, not the federal government. This principle applies as much to federal employees as it does any American.”
Since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have worked to promote the safety of federal workers. For example, the “Chai Suthammanont Remembrance Act,” introduced by Rep. Connolly, was named after a federal employee in Virginia who died of COVID-19 in May 2020, would require agencies to publish their reopening plans online at least 30 days before employees return. The same bill passed through the House during the 116th Congress.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) also introduced a bill authorizing federal agencies to reimburse federal contractors and employees who are unable to perform work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
