McMorris Rodgers Takes Action to Overturn Vaccine Mandates for Private Employers, Medicare and Medicaid Providers

Washington, D.C. (December 9, 2021) – Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) is taking action to nullify President Joe Biden’s authoritarian vaccine mandates on private businesses and health care providers. Today, she joined more than 150 Republicans in introducing the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal the vaccine mandate for Medicare and Medicaid providers. 

Last month, Cathy helped introduce another resolution to overturn the president’s mandate on private employers, which passed the Senate with bipartisan support last night. If allowed to continue, these mandates would exacerbate the ongoing health care workforce shortage, affect more than 80 million Americans who work for private employers, and impose $14,000 fines for those who do not comply.

“In September, more than half a million health care and social assistance workers left their jobs. We’ve heard from providers from across the country who told us that workforce shortages, burnout, turnover, and recruitment challenges are deeply hurting patient care. President Biden’s vaccine mandate will make these problems worse,” said Rodgers. “To make matters worse, the president’s overreaching mandate on private businesses is putting people out of work, straining our already broken supply chains, and leading to higher costs for Eastern Washington families this holiday season. It’s time to put an end to this out-of-touch policy. Our nation was built on individual liberty – not mandates that force Americans to make a choice to comply with the government or lose their livelihoods altogether. I was encouraged to see the Senate take bipartisan action, and I’m hopeful the House will do the right thing and swiftly follow their lead.”

The Congressional Review Act is the mechanism by which Congress can repeal federal regulations. The two resolutions filed today in the House of Representatives would nullify both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) vaccine requirement for private businesses with more than 100 employees, as well as the mandate for Medicare and Medicaid providers. 

NOTE: A companion resolution to repeal the mandate on Medicare and Medicaid providers has been introduced in the Senate, and both versions must be passed before being sent to the president. The resolution to overturn the mandate for private employers passed the Senate but has yet to be passed in the House.

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