The Senate will vote this week on a motion to overturn President Biden’s immunization requirement for private corporations.
Republicans and at least one Democrat oppose the government’s rule demanding vaccines or unpleasant testing for large-scale employees.
Can the bill be stopped?
In November, all 50 Republican senators, led by GOP Sen. Mike Braun, sponsored a Congressional Study Act appeal to the vaccination requirement (CRA). Bypassing a resolution through each chamber, Congress can officially reject an executive power rule.
Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin expressed his support for the Braun motion last week.
Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin will vote with 50 Republican senators to overturn Biden's vaccine mandateshttps://t.co/kwz8eETrrc
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) December 5, 2021
“I oppose any governmental vaccination requirement on private firms,” Manchin stated after voting against an addendum to a government spending bill that would repeal formal and informal vaccine requirements.
GOP Sen. Mike Lee and a few other conservatives pushed for the vote, in exchange for speeding up the funding bill’s approval, but they received no Democrat backing.
Republicans believe Democrat Senator Kyrsten Sinema will support the Braun resolution. In an interview with CNN last week, she refused to declare if she would vote for it.
GOP Senator Steve Daines is also urging Democrat Sen. Jon Tester to “join me in my efforts to defeat all of Biden’s requirements.”
Senators can get this done
The Braun motion simply requires a simple majority in the Senate to pass, indicating the law is likely to pass. GOP Rep. Fred Keller is the author of companion legislation in the House of Representatives, which has 206 voting members, according to his office.
However, GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy warned Friday that with Democrat Speaker Nancy Pelosi in power, the bill is unlikely to come up for a vote in Congress.
Joe Manchin will vote with 50 Republican senators to overturn Brandon's vaccine mandates. This would be great. We'll see. He's been known to fold.
— Susan St. James (@SusanStJames3_) December 5, 2021
Even if conservatives, and possibly a few Democrats, are successful in forcing a vote on the CRA motion in the House, such measures are subject to a veto override. Biden is also unlikely to approve a bill repealing a rule he directed his administration to implement.
“With the Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval, it’ll most certainly come up again some time,” Lee remarked on Thursday.
“Obviously, that’s not enough. Congressional Review Act votes of disapproval are susceptible to veto override, which is one of the CRA’s flaws. So, a president who exploits his executive power in the same way this president did with these requirements is almost certain to veto.”
Last Thursday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration thinks Biden’s vaccine requirement for private corporations is “grounded on 50-year-old legislation that Congress implemented.”
Psaki also said, “we’re going to keep pushing ahead on these standards.” Psaki further suggested the government’s demand be renamed “vax or test.” Employees who refuse to be immunized might instead wear masks to work every day and be subject to COVID-19 testing on a regular basis.
