OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Reps. Allen, Stefanik, Foxx, Banks, Sen. Braun Lead Opposition to Biden Vaccine Mandate in Upcoming SCOTUS Case

Statement

By: Rick Allen, Barry Moore, Mo Brooks, French Hill, Andy Biggs, Tom McClintock, Michelle Steel, Matt Gaetz, John Rutherford, Greg Steube, Drew Ferguson, Jody Hice, Ashley Hinson, Mary Miller, Jim Baird, Jacob LaTurner, Brett Guthrie, Steve Scalise, Andy Harris, Tim Walberg, Ann Wagner, Jason Smith, Michael Guest, Virginia Foxx, Dan Bishop, Kelly Armstrong, Adrian Smith, Nicole Malliotakis, Chris Jacobs, Bill Johnson, Troy Balderson, Dan Meuser, Fred Keller, Nancy Mace, Ralph Norman, Jr., Chuck Fleischmann, David Kustoff, Pat Fallon, Kay Granger, Jodey Arrington, Roger Williams, Brian Babin, Rob Wittman, Morgan Griffith, Cathy Rodgers, Mike Gallagher, Carol Miller, Richard Shelby, Marco Rubio, Joni Ernst, Todd Young, Roger Marshall, Bill Cassidy, Joshua Hawley, Thom Tillis, Deb Fischer, Jim Inhofe, Lindsey Graham, Mike Rounds, John Cornyn, Ron Johnson, Cynthia Lummis, Mike Rogers, Robert Aderholt, Gary Palmer, Rick Crawford, Bruce Westerman, Paul Gosar, Debbie Lesko, Doug LaMalfa, Jay Obernolte, Kevin McCarthy, Darrell Issa, Doug Lamborn, Neal Dunn, Kat Cammack, Bill Posey, Vern Buchanan, Brian Mast, Buddy Carter, Austin Scott, Andrew Clyde, Barry Loudermilk, Marjorie Greene, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Russ Fulcher, Jackie Walorski, Jim Banks, Victoria Spartz, Tracey Mann, Ron Estes, James Comer, Jr., Thomas Massie, Andy Barr, Mike Johnson, Garret Graves, Jack Bergman, John Moolenaar, Lisa McClain, Michelle Fischbach, Vicky Hartzler, Billy Long, Trent Kelly, Roger Wicker, Steven Palazzo, Greg Murphy, David Rouzer, Richard Hudson, Jr., Patrick McHenry, Ted Budd, Jeff Fortenberry, Donald Bacon, Yvette Herrell, Mark Amodei, Elise Stefanik, Claudia Tenney, Steve Chabot, Jim Jordan, Bob Gibbs, Warren Davidson, Markwayne Mullin, Brian Fitzpatrick, Scott Perry, Lloyd Smucker, John Joyce, GT Thompson, Jr., Joe Wilson, Sr., Jeff Duncan, Dusty Johnson, Diana Harshbarger, John Rose, Mark Green, Louie Gohmert, Dan Crenshaw, Lance Gooden, August Pfluger, Ronny Jackson, Randy Weber, Sr., Chip Roy, Beth Van Duyne, Michael Burgess, Michael Cloud, Blake Moore, Burgess Owens, Robert Good, Ben Cline, Thomas Davis III, Dan Newhouse, Scott Fitzgerald, Glenn Grothman, David McKinley, Alex Mooney, Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, John Boozman, Tom Cotton, Rick Scott, Chuck Grassley, Mike Crapo, James Risch, Mike Braun, Jerry Moran, Mitch McConnell, Jr., Rand Paul, John Kennedy, Cindy Hyde-Smith, John Hoeven, Ben Sasse, James Lankford, Tim Scott, Marsha Blackburn, Ted Cruz, Shelley Capito, Roy Blunt, Steve Daines, Kevin Cramer, Rob Portman, Pat Toomey, John Thune, Bill Hagerty, Mike Lee, John Barrasso
Date: Dec. 30, 2021
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Health and Health Care

Today, Congressman Rick W. Allen (GA-12), House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (NY-21), House Education and Labor Committee Republican Leader Virginia Foxx (NC-05), Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Banks (IN-03), and Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) led over 130 Representatives and over 40 Senators in filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in the upcoming case considering the Biden Administration's top-down Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring private employers with over 100 employees to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine or weekly testing. The brief argues that Congress did not give OSHA the authority to impose a vaccine mandate and urges SCOTUS to stay the mandate.

In the brief, the Members write: "Congressional members have an interest in the powers they delegate to agencies not being abused--the legislative authority vested in the federal government belongs to Congress, not the Executive branch. In this case, the promulgation by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) of a sweeping, nationwide vaccine mandate on businesses intrudes into an area of legislative concern far beyond the authority of the agency. And it does so with a Mandate enacted through OSHA's seldom-used "emergency temporary standard' (ETS) provision that allows for bypass of notice and comment rulemaking under certain circumstances. That OSHA exceeded its authority in enacting the ETS Mandate is not a "particularly hard' question."

The Members continue: "Moreover, congressional members--as representatives of the people of their States and districts--have an interest in the citizens they represent being able to craft local solutions to problems facing their States and districts. Federalism concerns should be addressed before requiring federally-imposed solutions. And this is especially true when the question at issue involves an area typically reserved to the States (such as vaccine mandates). At the least, Congress should be forced to make clear any delegations of authority into areas of State control."


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