President Joe Biden’s sweeping new vaccination requirements for private-sector employees is drawing fierce criticism from House Republicans, creating a fresh campaign issue in their quest to win a majority in the chamber next year.
Biden on Thursday announced an executive order requiring all federal workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The president said further he will issue a vaccination requirement to companies that employ more than 100 workers, with an option to offer a weekly coronavirus test instead. Those employers will also be required to give staff paid time off to be vaccinated and could face fines of $14,000 per violation.
In Thursday remarks at the White House, Biden said his job as president is to “protect all Americans.”
BIDEN TO IMPOSE VACCINE MANDATES FOR BIG-COMPANY EMPLOYEES AND HEALTHCARE WORKERS
“This is not about freedom or personal choice,” Biden said. “It’s about protecting yourself and those around you — the people you work with, the people you care about, the people you love.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called the directive “flat-out un-American.”
President Biden has made small business an enemy of his administration. Forcing main street to vax or pay a fine will not only crush an economy he’s put on life support—it’s flat-out un-American.
To Joe Biden, force is more important than freedom. Americans won’t stand for it.
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) September 9, 2021
“To Joe Biden, force is more important than freedom,” the California Republican tweeted. “Americans won’t stand for it.”
In a social media post, Rep. Peter Meijer said he is “a strong proponent of vaccines” but believes the president overstepped his constitutional authority.
I am a strong proponent of vaccines (get yours if you haven’t!) but President Biden doing an end-run around the legislative process by ordering an administrative agency like @OSHA_DOL to mandate vaccinations for employees of private business is outrageous overreach. (1/2) https://t.co/13cgYveAZi pic.twitter.com/YlHsOb5QIQ
— Rep. Peter Meijer (@RepMeijer) September 10, 2021
“The president of the United States, using an administrative rule to implement such a far-reaching policy that would impact over 100 million Americans, is grossly overstepping that authority,” the Michigan Republican said.
Meijer said the president is “doing an end-run around the legislative process” that should be challenged in court.
“This should be a law if it is to be one,” Meijer added. “This is not the type of thing that should be forced by an administrative rule from the president.”
Some Democrats countered that the substance of the vaccine requirement is comparable to other public health measures.
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier posted a video message praising Biden’s action, likening the president’s order to bans on smoking in workplaces “because it affected all of our health.”
“The Constitution protects these kinds of initiatives, and we’ve done it before,” the California Democrat said.
I fully support President Biden’s plan, announced today, to defeat this deadly pandemic. pic.twitter.com/vhw7SePvu8
— Mark DeSaulnier (@RepDeSaulnier) September 9, 2021
Rep. Dean Phillips tweeted that using public spaces should prompt people to get vaccinated to protect others and that “real patriots protect their neighbors.”
If you live in the woods and don’t want a vaccine, that’s your prerogative. But when you step foot into a store, a school, a factory, an airport, or an office, now you’re potentially compromising my freedom, my liberty, and my health. Real patriots protect their neighbors.??
— Rep. Dean Phillips ?? (@RepDeanPhillips) September 10, 2021
But Republicans signaled that the mandates could become a campaign issue, with the party down only four seats from claiming a majority in the 2022 midterm elections. The Republican National Committee said Thursday it plans to sue the federal government over the mandates.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is eyeing a 2024 presidential bid, criticized the mandate Friday, arguing that the Biden administration should “lead by example” by providing people with accurate information about the vaccines and allowing them to make their own decisions.
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The House Freedom Caucus also issued a statement opposing Biden’s order.
“President Biden’s invasive and unAmerican vaccine mandate is another attempt by the Biden Regime to expand its control over Americans’ daily lives,” said Rep. Andy Biggs, the group’s chairman. “Members of the House Freedom Caucus stand united in opposing this unconstitutional, tyrannical federal action.”
