EXCLUSIVE — The conservative House Freedom Caucus is pushing Republicans in the Senate to take a stronger stance against federal vaccine mandates before voting to fund the government ahead of a Friday shutdown deadline.
“We urge you — and all Senators — not to just seek to ‘process amendments,’ but to seek the only resolution a free people deserve: defunding President Biden’s harmful vaccine mandates,” the caucus said in a letter to Republican senators Wednesday morning, first shared with the Washington Examiner.
The House Freedom Caucus took an official position in November to oppose any continuing resolution or government funding legislation while federal COVID-19 mandates remain in place. If Republicans in the Senate banded together to do the same, they could force a government shutdown over the issue.
MCCONNELL: ‘NO DANGER OF A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN’ OVER VACCINE MANDATES
Some Republican senators have moved to take action. Earlier this week, a group of Republican senators wrote to colleges stating their intention to oppose the continuing resolution to fund the government unless the Senate held a roll call vote on an amendment to defund enforcement of remaining federal vaccine mandates.
But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled that while that demand may be met, there is no appetite for shutting down the government over the vaccine mandates.
“As is often the case, we’ll process a few amendments before doing a short-term [continuing resolution],” McConnell told reporters when asked about the push on Tuesday. “I think it’ll all be worked out. There’s no danger of a government shutdown.”
That attitude enraged Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy, a Freedom Caucus member and a leader in the House in opposing vaccine mandates.
“‘Process a few amendments’? What the hell does that even mean? It sounds like more beltway bulls*** and not fighting for Americans,” Roy tweeted Tuesday.
It is likely that an amendment vote on funding vaccine mandates will fail. Republicans held a similar vote ahead of a government funding deadline in December. That amendment failed 48-50, and 19 Senate Republicans voted for the stopgap funding measure.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, told reporters Wednesday morning that he was “very hopeful” about getting an agreement with Republicans. “I believe that our Republican colleagues do not want to cause a Republican shutdown,” he said.
While the Biden administration withdrew its vaccine-or-test requirement for private businesses with more than 100 employees after a Supreme Court ruling blocked the rule, other federal vaccine mandates are taking effect or are being challenged in the courts, affecting federal employees and contractors, healthcare workers, and members of the military.
“Congress determines how Taxpayer dollars are spent through the ‘power of the purse’ granted us in Article I of the Constitution. We must not abdicate to the Judicial branch our responsibility to decide the supposed constitutionality of the questions just to avoid taking difficult votes,” the House Freedom Caucus said in the letter. “We owe the American People the certainty that the courts cannot provide. We also must defend them against losing their job or being forced to inject themselves. The question is simple: will we stand with the American People or won’t we?”
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The House last week passed a continuing resolution to fund the government at current levels through March 11, and the Senate must pass it before the end of the day on Friday to avoid a government shutdown.
Republican and Democratic budget negotiators hope to reach an agreement on a fiscal year 2022 omnibus spending bill before the new March 11 deadline, which will set the first new spending levels under the Biden administration.
Read the full letter from the House Freedom Caucus below:
