On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate narrowly rejected President Joe Biden's COVID-19 mandate for private businesses with 100 or more employees.
According to the Associated Press, Democratic Senators Joe Manchin (WV) and Jon Tester of (MT) voted with 50 Republicans to turn down the measure in a 52-48 vote.
Biden first announced the mandate calling for private-sector companies with 100 or more workers to require their employees to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in September. Workers who choose not to get vaccinated would have to be tested weekly and wear masks while working.
Republican Senators, who are pro-vaccine, contend that a federal regulation equates to government overreach.
"His mandates are under fire in the courts. Main Street job creators are complaining against it, and tonight, the U.S. Senate must send a clear message: back off this bad idea," Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., who sponsored the resolution, said.
Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., noted that such a mandate would further prompt people to remain unvaccinated.
"I think, actually, the mandate has made it worse in terms of hardening people who don't want to be told what to do by the government," he said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) shared that her constituents expressed concern over Biden's mandate during a recent telephone town hall.
"If you look at my state, 40 percent of my state's workforce stands to lose their job under this mandate," Capito said. "It will be a killer to our economy."
On the other hand, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who voted in favor of the mandate, argued that the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, and the majority of deaths have been among the unvaccinated.
"How on earth does it make sense right now to undercut one of the strongest tools that we have to get people vaccinated and stop this virus?" Murray questioned. "In what world is that a good idea?"
The bill has yet to be passed by the House, which also seems unlikely.
Earlier this week, the White House published a statement stating that Biden will veto the resolution if it does not reach his desk.
"The president wants to see Americans back on the job, and Americans back at work should not face risk from those who are not vaccinated and who refuse to be tested," the White House said.
The reception to Biden's vaccine mandate has been mixed, and multiple lawsuits have been filed to stop it from being enforced.
So far, federal judges in Louisiana and Georgia have turned down Biden's vaccine mandate for the nation's healthcare workers and federal contractors, respectively.
The president has also been criticized for changing course on mandatory vaccinations since last December he said he would not require them.
Photo courtesy: ©GettyImages/Ridofranz
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
