On Wednesday, the Senate voted to revoke Joe Biden’s federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private businesses.
To vote in favor of the repeal, Jon Tester of Montana and Moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia joined forces with Republicans. The final vote was 52-48, according to Fox News.
The mandate is unlikely to be overturned by the GOP-backed resolution even with Senate approval. The measure is not expected to be taken up by the Democrat-controlled House, and President Joe Biden would likely reject the bill if it cleared Congress.
Republicans, under the “Congressional Review Act (CRA),” brought the repeal to the Senate floor. The CRA permits Congress to review presidential executive orders. The revolution was sponsored by Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind. Prior to the vote, Braun described Biden’s federal vaccine mandate as an example of the “heavy hand of government” hurting businesses.
“It’s got Main Street America scared,” Braun said. “They’re worried about, well, what does this mean on other issues? Anybody who thinks this is a good idea, imagine the next time it happens when you’re on the wrong side on whatever the merits of the case would be.”
The Biden administration’s mandate requires private businesses with more than 100 workers to ensure their employees get vaccinated against coronavirus or undergo regular testing. Companies that do not comply with the mandate face steep fines.
GOP lawmakers said the mandate constitutes federal overreach, arguing that it is too broad. Business groups who oppose the mandate describe it as being too burdensome and causing strained economic conditions.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the vote, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. said that:
“It’s daunting to families as they’re facing higher bills for their gas and their heating. They are very concerned about what this would do to their long-term ability to get a job, keep a job. I think they realize that this is an invasion into their own abilities to make decisions about themselves in their health care.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY., blasted the Republican effort to repeal the mandate, which prompted immediate legal challenges from several states as well as business and religious groups.
“Some of the anti-vaxxers here in this chamber remind me of what happened 400 years ago when people were clinging to the fact that the sun revolved around the Earth. They just didn’t believe science. Or 500 years ago when they were sure the Earth was flat,” Schumer said earlier in the day.
A fight over the mandate almost derailed efforts to fund the government before last week’s critical deadline.
On Tuesday, U.S. district court in Georgia halted the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors, arguing that the president likely exceeded his authority, according to CNBC.
