WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an op-ed for the Washington Examiner, U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) discussed their effort to stop the federal government’s overreach of mandating vaccines for private businesses with more than 100 employees. The mandate will affect more than 80 million Americans and imposes $14,000 fines for persons who do not comply.

Last month, Senator Capito joined Senator Braun’s effort in the form of a Congressional Review Act (CRA) to nullify President Biden’s vaccine mandate on private businesses. The Senate is expected to vote on the CRA this evening. Learn more about the effort here.

“For a small business still getting back on its feet, that extra burden is the last thing it needs. We should be focused on solving our supply chain problems, not forcing the people who keep this country running out of their jobs because of what should be a personal health choice. As our country continues to recover, the one thing that will stop us from returning to the prosperity we saw pre-COVID-19 is the federal government getting in the way. As the Biden mandates come under fire in the courts and the serious consequences of this policy begin to take effect, the U.S. Senate must send a clear message to Biden: Keep your word and abandon this unconstitutional federal overreach before it’s too late,” Senators Capito and Braun wrote.

The full op-ed is available here and below.

Biden promised no vaccine mandates; the Senate will vote to overturn his private employee mandate
By: U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.)
Washington Examiner
December 8, 2021
Word Count: 393

The coronavirus vaccines developed under the Trump administration’s “Operation Warp Speed” are medical miracles, but the decision to get vaccinated should be a personal health choice. It shouldn’t be up to President Joe Biden.

A year ago this week, Biden said of the COVID-19 vaccines, “I don’t think they should be mandatory. I wouldn’t demand it to be mandatory.” Then he went back on his word, mandating vaccines for private sector employees.

Individual liberties are at stake when the federal government tries to force private citizens to be vaccinated as a condition of employment.

We’re standing up against this federal government overreach for employees in our states and across America.

When the president issues a new rule, there is a process for Congress to disapprove of that rule and nullify it. It’s called the Congressional Review Act. All of our Republican colleagues in the Senate and Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Jon Tester are using that process to challenge the mandate for private businesses.

This challenge would pass the U.S. Senate with a simple majority, rather than a 60-vote threshold like most legislation.

Last year, the Senate did everything we could to keep folks in their jobs. Now, Biden seems to be doing everything he can to push them out.

Small businesses faced extreme hardship from the COVID-19 pandemic, and this vaccine mandate will force all businesses of over 100 employees either to fire employees who refuse to be vaccinated or bear the cost and headache of testing employees multiple times per week.

If they fail to comply, these small businesses could face huge fines of $14,000 per violation.

For a small business still getting back on its feet, that extra burden is the last thing it needs.

We should be focused on solving our supply chain problems, not forcing the people who keep this country running out of their jobs because of what should be a personal health choice.

As our country continues to recover, the one thing that will stop us from returning to the prosperity we saw pre-COVID-19 is the federal government getting in the way.

As the Biden mandates come under fire in the courts and the serious consequences of this policy begin to take effect, the U.S. Senate must send a clear message to Biden: Keep your word and abandon this unconstitutional federal overreach before it’s too late. 

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