Reports indicate that conservative Republicans are quietly “plotting to force a government shutdown” in an effort to deny funding for President Biden’s vaccine mandates.
“A group of Senate conservatives is planning to object to quick consideration of a stopgap measure to extend funding into early 2022 unless Democratic leaders agree to deny money to enforce the mandate,” writes Politico.
They note that the senators they’ve spoken with “believe they’ll be able to drag out the process well past midnight Friday.”
Doing so would temporarily create a partial shutdown and lead to furloughs for some federal workers.
Democrats are seeking to pass a continuing resolution which would be a stopgap measure to extend funding beyond the Friday deadline and into the early part of 2022.
Conservative Republicans in the House and Senate are planning to force a government shutdown to deny funding needed to enforce the Biden administration’s vaccine mandates on the private sector, Politico reports. https://t.co/DYuxIDKINO
— Axios (@axios) December 1, 2021
RELATED: Federal Court Blocks Vaccine Mandate For Health Workers In 10 States
Will Conservative Republicans Force A Government Shutdown?
Politico provides no details as to the number of Senate Republicans willing to go along with the plan, but Mike Lee (R-UT) indicated it is being pondered.
“I’m sure we would all like to simplify the process for resolving the CR, but I can’t facilitate that without addressing the vaccine mandates,” said Lee.
“Given that federal courts across the country have raised serious issues with these mandates, it’s not unreasonable for my Democratic colleagues to delay enforcement of the mandates for at least the length of the continuing resolution,” he added.
The outlet also points out that there is support for the tactic from the House Freedom Caucus.
Representative Chip Roy (R-TX), during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Wednesday, implored his colleagues to fight the vaccine mandates by forcing a government shutdown.
“The Congress needs to man up, stand up, and fight for the American people,” Roy urged. “And that means don’t fund a government that is tyrannically forcing people to get a vaccine that they don’t want to get.”
If ever there were a freedom hill to die on, this one might be it for Republican lawmakers.
How many will actually go that far?
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) calls on Republican colleagues to force a government shutdown Friday over Biden’s private-sector vaccine mandate:
“Don’t fund a government that is tyrannically forcing people to get a vaccine that they don’t want to get.” pic.twitter.com/yzhOv56aC7
— The Recount (@therecount) December 1, 2021
RELATED: Biden Admin Tells Businesses To Ignore Federal Court Ruling That Halted Vaccine Mandate
Mandates Getting Hammered In The Courts
President Biden’s federal vaccine mandate has been getting pummeled of late in the courts.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit earlier this month temporarily blocked the administration’s coronavirus mandate, suggesting it raises “grave statutory and constitutional issues.”
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On Monday, a federal court in Missouri put a halt to the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for health care workers in 10 states, saying it hadn’t received Congressional authorization and placed a burden on health care facilities to “choose between … providing substandard care or providing no healthcare at all.”
BREAKING: The CMS federal vaccine mandate has been temporarily blocked by Judge Schelp in the Eastern District of Missouri.
Arkansas was one of the states joining in on the lawsuit against such. #ARNews pic.twitter.com/1RR7WSryEV
— Shelby Rose (@KATVShelby) November 29, 2021
And again this week, a judge in Louisiana halted the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for certain health care workers nationwide.
The judge in that case, U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty, also said the administration required Congressional approval but noted even that might not be enough to make their vaccine mandate legal.
“There is no question that mandating a vaccine to 10.3 million healthcare workers is something that should be done by Congress, not a government agency,” he wrote. “It is not clear that even an Act of Congress mandating a vaccine would be constitutional.”
“Civil liberties face grave risks when governments proclaim indefinite states of emergency,” Doughty wrote.
A federal judge in #Louisiana issued a preliminary injunction to block President Biden’s #VaccineMandate for #HealthcareWorkers. https://t.co/QgM2blNLWw
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) December 1, 2021
Doughty went on to express the importance of maintaining freedoms in difficult times such as a pandemic.
“If human nature and history teach anything, it is that civil liberties face grave risks when governments proclaim indefinite states of emergency,” he wrote.
Are Republicans actually willing to stand and fight against those grave risks?
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