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I hope you saw my latest weekly column.

 

ROGER WICKER: Sweeping Vaccine Orders Could Force Millions Out of Work
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Last December, President-elect Joe Biden was asked whether COVID-19 vaccines
should be mandated. His answer was simple: “No, I don’t think they should be
mandatory.” Fast forward almost a year, and the President has done a complete
180. Taking his cues from the most radical lockdown advocates, President Biden
is now brushing aside personal freedom and issuing vaccine mandates left and
right. As a result, millions of American workers across government, private
industry, and the military are now facing the once-unthinkable prospect of
losing their jobs over the vaccine.

It has been said that “the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.” This past
year has shown just how quickly an overbearing President can encroach on our
freedoms if we allow him to do so. I have encouraged Americans to continue
getting vaccinated, but it is wrong for the federal government to demand that
individuals put a vaccine in their bodies under the threat of losing their
jobs. I stand with the growing number of Americans who are pushing back on the
President’s overreach. Individual freedom must not become a casualty of this
pandemic.

Biden on Verge of Gutting American Workforce

Americans have made enormous sacrifices to keep our economy running throughout
the pandemic. The people who drive our trucks, move our freight, and stock our
shelves have worked nonstop to deliver essential goods to our communities. Yet
many of those same workers could now lose their jobs because of President
Biden’s mandates. His first executive order requires all federal employees to
be vaccinated by November 22. His second order requires all businesses that
contract with the federal government to have their employees vaccinated by
December 8. Additionally, the Administration is planning to require every
business with over 100 employees to have their workers vaccinated or tested
weekly. None of these directives take into account natural immunity, and
together they will affect more than two-thirds of our nation’s workforce.
Several states and labor groups are planning to challenge these mandates in
court.

If they are not reversed, the President’s mandates will likely trigger mass
layoffs, hurting our economy as well as our national security. According to the
American Trucking Associations, major trucking companies could lose 37 percent
of their drivers because of the mandates. This would worsen the already-severe
gaps in our supply chain, making it even harder to shop for goods during the
Christmas season. Additionally, thousands of airline pilots, aviation workers,
and rail workers could be thrown out of work, bringing our transportation
system to a halt. Layoffs could also cripple our defense industry – including
in Mississippi, where thousands of shipbuilders and other military supply
workers are not vaccinated. The military also stands to lose many active-duty
service members who are refusing to take the vaccine. Our nation cannot afford
these disastrous impacts, which are now looming because of the President’s
ill-considered mandates.

Republicans Defend Worker Freedom

As the lead Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, I am working hard to
protect personal freedom in the face of the President’s overreach. This past
week, I sent a letter to the President detailing the extensive damage his
private-sector mandate would do to our supply chain at the worst possible time,
and urging him to reverse course. I am also cosponsoring legislation to block
the Administration from using emergency powers to impose this mandate. In
addition, I am pushing a bill to ensure that any of our troops who are
separated from the military because of vaccine refusal are given an honorable
discharge. We are a nation of laws, and President Biden is exceeding his
authority with these top-down mandates. It falls to all of us to remind him
that his powers are limited.

 

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Thank you for your support,

Senator Roger Wicker

 

 

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