Biden to Force Employers with 100+ Workers to Mandate Vaccinations; GOP Calls Move “Unconstitutional”

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During a televised speech from the White House, Biden noted that the Department of Labor will impose large fines on companies that do not require their work forces to get the jab – or for those who opt-out, undergo weekly testing – for COVID-19. File photo: ShutterStock.com, licensed.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Republican lawmakers reacted with anger to President Joe Biden’s announcement on Thursday that businesses that employ 100 workers or more – covering over two-thirds of employers nationwide – who will be forced to institute a vaccine mandate for all employees – or submit them to regular testing – calling the move “unconstitutional.”

During a televised speech from the White House, Biden noted that the Department of Labor will impose large fines on companies that do not require their work forces to get the jab – or for those who opt-out, undergo weekly testing – for COVID-19.

“This is not about freedom, or personal choice,” Biden said. “It’s about protecting yourself and those around you…the people you work with, the people you care about, the people you love. We cannot allow these actions to stand in the way of protecting the large majority of Americans who have done their part, who want to get back to life as normal.”

However, Republicans expressed outrage at the announcement, with South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem issuing a retort via Twitter, saying that

“My legal team is standing by ready to file our lawsuit the minute @joebiden files his unconstitutional rule. This gross example of federal intrusion will not stand.”

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp – whose sister-in-law just passed away from COVID-19 complications – also responded on Twitter that his state would resist the rule legally, saying that

“I will pursue every legal option available to the state of Georgia to stop this blatantly unlawful overreach by the Biden administration.”

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) claimed on Twitter that Biden had exceeded his authority with his mandate, stating that

“Joe Biden’s COVID vaccine mandate completely ignores the science and is an attack on Americans’ right to privacy. The feds have NO AUTHORITY to force employers to make their employees get vaccinated.”

Texas Senator Ted Cruz

Cruz, however, did not acknowledge that those who do not wish to be vaccinated can opt to be tested weekly for COVID-19 instead, although some may consider that option an invasion of privacy as well.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) stated on Twitter that Biden’s decree is anti-business and anti-American, saying

“President Biden has made small business an enemy of his administration. Forcing main street to vax or pay a fine will not only crush an economy he’s put on life support—it’s flat-out un-American. To Joe Biden, force is more important than freedom. Americans won’t stand for it.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy

According to the CDC, 75.3 percent of adults in the United States have had at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

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