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Rep. Tracey Mann's Statement on Pres. Biden's Executive Order, Mandating Federal Employees receive the COVID-19 Vaccine

September 10, 2021

Rep. Tracey Mann released the following statement regarding President Biden's announcement of his executive order, which mandates that all federal employees and government contractors receive the COVID-19 vaccine:

"Yesterday, President Biden signed an executive order mandating that all federal employees and government contractors receive COVID-19 vaccinations and that all businesses with greater than 100 employees mandate vaccines. President Biden’s mandate is a gross misuse of the executive order, which does not grant the President the power to rob Americans of their right to make their own health care choices. President Biden’s mandate flies in the face of religious freedom and personal liberties as it fails to include exemptions for those who would decline vaccination based on religious or medical concerns, or even for those willing to produce negative COVID-19 tests in lieu of getting vaccinated.

This order affects more than 2.1 million federal employees and even more private-sector employees who contract with the federal government such as highway construction workers and conservation district employees officing in government facilities. A mandate like this will motivate many workers to seek outside employment where they can make their own health care decisions, exacerbating the already massive work shortages within government agencies and contracting arms.

This mandate increases the 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.

Executive orders, when used correctly, can be good tools for governance. When they circumvent Congress, strong-arm the minority, or go against the wishes of the American people, they are categorically bad. When vaccines go through the proper protocol and testing and are proven to eradicate a disease (like Polio), they can be good. When federal vaccine mandates do not include religious and medical exemptions like the other 12 plus required vaccines we already have in this country, they are categorically bad. This executive order is not just overreaching, it is destructive to the sovereignty of the American people."

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