Rep. Tracey Mann's Statement Opposing the Biden Administration's Ruling on OSHA Vaccine Mandate.

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (R-KS) released the following statement in opposition to the emergency temporary standard issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for employers with 100 or more employees:

"This morning the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an emergency temporary standard mandating that all employers with over 100 employees force their employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccination or submit to weekly testing. This mandate, issued at the behest of President Biden, shows a blatant disregard for Americans’ freedoms and the Constitution.

OSHA lacks both the authority and the capacity to issue such a mandate which will strong-arm private businesses into enforcing backward policy. Under the OSHA rule, businesses will have to choose to force a vaccine on their employees or pay a fine of $14,000 per violation. Our nation is already in the midst of an economic catastrophe plagued by a severe labor shortage, a supply chain crisis, and costs rising at a level not seen in decades. OSHA’s directive will only worsen these issues.

A mandate will increase public skepticism that the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health have created by reversing their own guidance on the best COVID-19 protocol numerous times. President Biden and Vice President Harris even called into question the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness on the campaign trail, leading to a great deal of public doubt regarding the vaccine during President Trump’s tenure. President Biden contributed directly to the polarization and confusion of the American public, and with this order, he is now asking for our trust not because the situation has changed, but simply because he finds himself in the Oval Office.

Anyone who wants to receive a vaccine should have the ability to do so, but that should be a personal decision, not a government mandate."

Rep. Mann introduced the Stop Vaccine Mandates Act in September, sent a letter to President Biden urging him to rescind his nursing home vaccine mandate that would result in nursing home labor shortages and residents receiving lower-quality care, and has repeatedly spoken out against vaccine mandates in committee and on the floor of the House. Rep. Mann will continue to oppose any Federal mandate of the COVID-19 vaccine.

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