Exclusively, conservative leaders spoke out to Breitbart News to say that they want Sen. Lindsey Graham (R – SC) to quickly return to the United States Senate to allow Republicans to have the votes to defund President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates.
Sens. Sens. Conservatives have stated that they won’t consent to the expediting of a continuing resolution funding the federal government without a roll-call vote on an amendment defunding the enforcement of remaining federal vaccine mandates.
To keep the government open, Congress must pass a CR and another spending bill by March 11.
OSHA’s mandate to large employers was blocked by the Supreme Court. However, the federal government is still able to enforce the remaining mandates (which include the mandate on federal employees and contractors, as well as the mandate on military personnel and medical workers).
Despite the fact that Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R.KY) indicated there is no danger of a shutdown government over vaccine mandates there are still enough votes in the Senate for an amendment to the CR that would defund vaccine mandates.
In December, the Senate passed a congressional revision act (CRA), a resolution which would have repealed Biden’s mandate to vaccine private sector employees. The CRA measure needed only 50 votes but received 52 votes with support from Sens. Joe Manchin (D–WV) & Jon Tester (D–MT).
The stroke that Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), suffered left him convalescing. Republicans still have the opportunity to seize this moment and pass an amendment to the CR to remove vaccine mandates from funding.
But, Senate Republicans face a problem with their potential defunding of Biden’s vaccine mandate. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R–SC) is currently abroad, denying Republicans a crucial vote to pass the vaccine defunding amendment.
Conservative leaders have called on Graham to fly immediately from Israel to Washington, DC at a moment’s notice.
Ken Blackwell, an ex-ambassador and policy board member at the American Constitutional Rights Union said in an exclusive statement that Breitbart News: “Senator Graham is always been a supporter for the men and women serving in the Armed Forces. We’re asking him to vote to end this attack on the religious liberty of American heroes.”
Retired three-star Army General Jerry Boykin who commanded Army Special Operations, and Delta Force told Breitbart News that the US Military is facing a crisis due to the mandate to vaccine. As young Americans become hostile to military service, bullying service members will result in them refusing to undergo an injection. Parents across the country will be less likely to support their children’s military service and encourage them to do so. This means that entry requirements for the services are being lowered and our readiness to defend our nation’s most important security entity is declining at a moment when our enemies are becoming more bold and aggressive. This must be stopped by Congress before it’s too late.
It is not clear when or when Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, might hold amendment votes on CR. Schumer could also increase the threshold for the amendment from 60 votes to require a supermajority. The conservatives stated that it was crucial that Senate Republicans oppose Biden’s mandates regarding vaccines.
McConnell was not pleased that Senate Republicans were often defeated in CR battles by Schumer. Now, Senate Republicans have the ability to unite and press moderate Democrats to repeal vaccine mandates.
Rep. Chip Roy (Republican from Texas), is leading the fight for defunding the vaccine mandate in Congress. He said that it is not enough to “process amends,” @LeaderMcConnell. We expect you to have all 50 @SenateGOP members present and voting to repeal ALL COVID mandates. Or, vote no on funding enforcement. You have the power and authority to defend Americans. It’s your right to use it. #DefundVaxMandates.”
The House Freedom Caucus issued a statement urging Senate Republicans to repeal the vaccine mandate.
We are writing to express our continuing objection to President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
The House Freedom Caucus has been fighting against un-American, job-killing policies that have undermined the liberty and livelihoods of our citizens since the beginning. The COVID-19 mandates and restrictions have made the American People suffer for nearly two years. They have not been effective in mitigating the disease, but they have led to shocking rises in crime, suicides, overdoses, and mental health problems, poverty, and hunger. Many state and local governments have begun to abandon their bureaucratic tyranny; now it is time for the federal government.
As the Senate examines legislation to extend funding to the government through March 11, 2022, we ask our colleagues to join in opposition to any funding that would allow the American Citizens to enforce COVID-19 vaccine regulations.
Congress decides how Taxpayer dollars will be spent using the “power to the purse” we are granted in Article I. We cannot abdicate responsibility to the Judicial branch to determine the constitutionality of questions to avoid difficult votes.
The American People owe us the security that the courts can’t provide. We must also defend them against losing work or being forced to inject. It is clear that we must stand with the American People.
We urge all Senators to not just “process amendments”, but to pursue the only solution that a free person deserves: defunding President Biden’s dangerous vaccine mandates.
It is time to take action. We are the American People’s dependencies.
Six senators who urged their Senate counterparts to support defunding the vaccine mandate pointed out that even though the Supreme Court blocked one mandate, other mandates are equally harmful.
The lingering, dangerous uncertainty that remains for those who are subject to the remaining COVID-19 mandates, namely those imposing vaccines on military personnel, civilian employees, and contractors, is a concern for the American people. It is not clear if President Biden will abandon his desire to impose similar requirements.
We will continue to oppose these mandates until they cease in design, ambition, and practice. We are writing to inform you that we won’t consent to a time deal that allows passage of the Continuing Resolution (“CR”) currently before the Senate, absent an agreement to allow a roll-call vote on an amend that defunds enforcement of vaccine mandates during the spending period covered under the CR.
Frederick Douglass rightly observed that “the limits tyrants are determined by the endurance of those who they oppress.” We as Members of Congress must not abdicate Article I duties in the hope that the judicial branch would rule in favor or that the problem will disappear if it isn’t addressed by legislative action. In this crucial moment, history will record whether we chose to tolerate tyranny or not. We ask you to join us in opposing the CR until it explicitly funds the enforcement and implementation of these mandates.
“At the minimum, we must vote on this before funding its enforcement.” “The livelihoods and freedoms of millions are at risk,” concluded the Senate conservatives.
