Wisconsin congressional delegates responded to the Biden Administration’s COVID vaccine mandates. Three Representatives, Gallagher (R-08-WI), Fitzgerald (R-05-WI), and Steil (R-01-WI), expressed disagreement with Biden’s order, requiring businesses that employ over 100 people to mandate vaccinations or weekly COVID testing. Biden’s order also mandated that any healthcare facility that accepts Medicare or Medicaid to have all of their employees vaccinated.
Rep. Mike Gallagher said that President Biden is “testing the limits of his authority.” He wrote, “This decision is a gross abuse of federal power that will crush the small businesses already struggling from the labor shortage this administration has helped sustain. Presidential authorities are not limitless.”
Gallagher went on to tell Congress to “reclaim its Article I authorities.” He said, “It’s past time for Congress to act and reclaim its Article I authorities to ensure no president even flirts with this kind of idea again.”
Rep. Gallagher's statement on President Biden's decision to require businesses with more than 100 employees to mandate the vaccine or conduct weekly COVID-19 testing. pic.twitter.com/0HWW3osgue
— Rep. Gallagher Press Office (@RepGallagher) September 10, 2021
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald said that it was an example of “big government control.” Fitzgerald voiced his opinion that he believes Biden is trying to distract from his Afghanistan situation. He said that the act of overreach was “led by a President who is desperate to talk about anything but his decision to leave hundreds of Americans stranded in Afghanistan.”
More Big Government control over Americans’ lives, led by a President who is desperate to talk about anything but his decision to leave hundreds of Americans stranded in Afghanistan. https://t.co/gJQznHC9Ks
— Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (@RepFitzgerald) September 10, 2021
Rep. Bryan Steil also called the mandate “government overreach.” He said, “Biden said months ago that he was opposed to Federal mandates like this – he was right the first time. I took the vaccine. I think it’s safe [and] effective. It was a personal choice.”
Steil condemned the continuation of the Federal government “imposing” on private businesses and citizens. Steil said, “The announced Federal government mandate is another example of Biden imposing rules on private businesses and citizens through unilateral executive action.”
President Biden’s mandate announcement is yet another example of Federal Government overreach. More below: pic.twitter.com/tAiqLpArTo
— Bryan Steil (@RepBryanSteil) September 10, 2021
Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) also spoke out against the mandates, saying that President Biden has chosen “coercion over transparency.”
Johnson said, “The Biden administration’s decision to mandate vaccines for working Americans, without recognizing natural immunity and making exceptions for it, is an outrageous trampling of civil liberties. Rather than address legitimate concerns and answer basic questions regarding vaccine safety, President Biden and his administration have chosen coercion over transparency.”
Johnson called out the Biden Administration for “completely ignoring” studies about those who already contracted COVID and for refusing to “allow an exception for those with natural immunity.” He said, “It also ignores the importance of early treatments in the fight against COVID-19.”
Johnson finished his statement by saying “We’ve given up enough freedom during this pandemic. It’s time for Americans to reclaim their freedom.”
It is all about freedom and personal choice. pic.twitter.com/GEYWVCllvu
— Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) September 10, 2021
Wisconsin’s Democrat lawmakers have all been largely silent on the issue, including Democrat Governor Tony Evers.
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Hayley Tschetter is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun | Star News Network. Follow Hayley on Twitter or like her Facebook page. Send news tips to [email protected].
Photo “Mike Gallagher” by gallagher.house.gov. Photo “Scott Fitzgerald” by Congressman Scott Fitzgerald. Photo “Bryan Steil” by Congressman Bryan Steil. Background Photo “NMRTC Sigonella Supports COVID-19 Vaccination Shot Exercise” by Navy Medicine.
