WABASH VALLEY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Following the White House’s announcement Thursday regarding a vaccine mandate for private businesses, federal legislators from both parties had mixed reactions to the mandate and its Jan. 4 deadline.
Both US Senators from Indiana said they are against the new mandate. In a statement US Senator Todd Young said the following:
“The Biden vaccine mandate is ill-timed, ill-advised and likely illegal. In this moment when business owners are unable to fill the open jobs they have, President Biden is squeezing the labor market even more by forcing private employers to make health decisions for their employees.”
Young and others joined an effort led by Senator Mike Braun to challenge the federal mandates in Congress. Braun had this to say during a recent press conference:
“Most businesses took COVID serious from the get go. They wanted to keep their employees and their customers safe. Now, after we’ve found a rhythm to get through it, and things look like we got it in the rear view mirror or at least we’ve all learned to live with it in a responsible way. Could be the biggest wallop that small businesses have taken in the whole journey.”
US Representative Larry Bucshon, from Indiana’s 8th District, said he is pro-vaccine, but that he does not believe it should be government mandated.
“As a physician, I strongly believe that all eligible Americans should protect themselves and their communities by getting a COVID-19 vaccine – unless there are medical contraindications. While I am pro-vaccine, I strongly oppose the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate and believe it should immediately be withdrawn. The mandate may not be constitutional and should be challenged in court. Not only does this mandate further politicize the vaccine and undermine confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, it will also worsen America’s already crippling workforce shortage.”
“I have seen firsthand how these shortages are disproportionally affecting rural communities as I travel throughout Indiana’s 8th Congressional District. We are barely keeping our hospitals operational and our long-term care facilities open due to wide-ranging labor shortages. President Biden’s decision today to mandate the vaccine for millions of Americans will only exacerbate our existing workforce shortage and slow our country’s recovery. I firmly believe the government has no role in mandating vaccines for private business employees. President Biden’s vaccine mandate is tone deaf to the larger issues affecting rural America,” Congressman Bucshon said.
Meanwhile, in Illinois US Senator Dick Durbin said he supports the latest federal mandate. Durbin released the following statement regarding the mandate:
“The only way to put this pandemic behind us is to get shots in arms. As vaccines have been widely available to adults for 6 months, the president’s actions are a reasonable safety measure that will help protect Americans from this deadly virus while accelerating economic recovery.”
In addition to Durbin, MyWabashValley.com reached out to both Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth and US Representative Mary Miller from Illinois. Both did not respond with a comment.
