Tennessee Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) have joined all 48 other senate Republicans to challenge President Biden’s COVID vaccine mandate. The senators are utilizing the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to block the order and protect Americans from losing their jobs because of it.
The CRA is a tool that congress is able to use to overturn rules issued by federal agencies.
Hagerty appeared on Fox News’ Evening Edit with Elizabeth MacDonald on Wednesday. “Though I believe the vaccine is effective, this is a personal decision for each American, in consultation with his or her doctor, not the federal government,” he said; adding that the mandate is unconstitutional and he will continue to fight it at every turn in order to protect the American economy.
During the lockdown, he pointed out, there were first responder health care workers and essential employees who were risking their lives being exposed to the virus. “Now we’re saying that there’s a vaccine available they’re going to lose their jobs if they made a personal decision not to take the vaccine.”
Hagerty ended his interview by saying he believed the Build Back Better plan would eventually bankrupt small business owners. “They’re going to have to make the decision, whether to go out of business themselves, let their employees go, or allow the federal government to do it for them. This is not the America that we need to see. This is Biden’s America, and we’ve got to stop it.”
In a statement shared with The Tennessee Star, Marsha Blackburn said that the challenge to Biden’s vaccine mandate was a step in the right direction for the American people.
“Biden’s ultimatum exacerbates issues faced by hardworking Americans by forcing workers to get jabbed or be fired,” she said. “Republicans are unified in our opposition to President Biden’s abuse of power, and the formal challenge we introduced today represents the national momentum against this federal overreach.”
Earlier this week, Blackburn announced on Twitter, “OSHA has just suspended enforcement of Biden’s unconstitutional vaccine mandate.”
While both Blackburn and Hagerty have said they’ve been vaccinated against COVID, they both have said they believe that each American has the right to decide if they want to receive the COVID vaccine or not, and not be at risk of losing their jobs over it.
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Morgan Nicole Veysey is a reporter for The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow her on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
