All 50 Senate Republicans are expected to challenge the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for private businesses on Wednesday.
Leader of the effort, Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana, told Fox News that “President Biden’s vaccine mandate is an unconstitutional invasion of what should be a personal medical decision for every American and an affront to the rights of 80 million American workers”.
“Today, my Republican colleagues and I will formally challenge this federal overreach, and I urge the Senate to vote in favor of this disapproval resolution when it comes to the Floor for a filibuster-proof, simple-majority vote in early December,” he added.
The mandate says all employees of businesses with 100 or more workers must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 or face weekly testing and mask-wearing.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandate will affect approximately 84 million employees across the country. Businesses that do not comply with the rules will be subject to fines up to $14,000 per violation.
It’s expected that Braun will introduce a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act. The OSHA rule will be invalidated if the joint resolution is approved by both houses of Congress and signed by the president, or if Congress overrides a presidential veto.
Some Republicans joining Braun include Mitch McConnell, Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, and Rand Paul.
“Republicans are united against President Biden’s vaccine mandate for businesses, but this federal overreach is not a partisan issue, and the mass firings and worsening labor shortages that will result from this mandate are affecting Americans in all 50 states,” Braun said.