Letter to Senate Colleagues - Senators Join Mike Lee to Defund Vaccine Mandates

Letter

Dear Colleague,

We have consistently opposed President Biden's federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates, which would
force millions of Americans to choose between an unwanted medical procedure and being able to provide for their families. For legal, constitutional, and policy reasons, we remain not only strongly
opposed to the mandates, but also firmly convinced that the risk of inaction on our part is
unacceptably high.

As you are likely aware, the OSHA mandate was rescinded shortly after the Supreme Court blocked
its enforcement. This is no small victory. Millions of Americans are now free from this unwarranted
federal invasion into healthcare decisions, but for how long? In addition to the lingering, harmful
uncertainty faced by those subject to the four remaining COVID-19 mandates -- specifically, those
imposing vaccine requirements on medical workers, military personnel, federal employees, and federal contractors -- the American people as a whole still face uncertainty as to whether President
Biden has abandoned his desire to impose similar requirements on them.

We will continue to stand against these mandates until they are discontinued in ambition, design, and
practice. For that reason, we are writing to let you know that we will not consent to a time agreement
that eases passage of the Continuing Resolution ("CR") now before the Senate absent an agreement
to allow for a roll call vote on an amendment that defunds the enforcement of these vaccine mandates for the spending period covered by the CR.

These COVID-19 vaccine mandates amount to a serious abuse of both federal power and executive
authority. They also further strain the economic and social pressures our society currently faces,
while completely ignoring existing evidence-based data on natural immunity from previous COVID19 infection. Further, evidence-based research has conclusively shown that vaccination does not stop
the spread of COVID-19. In any event, President Biden has no business forcing people to make a
tragic choice between unemployment and an unwanted vaccination.

Frederick Douglass correctly observed that "the limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of
those whom they oppress." As Members of Congress, we must not abdicate our Article I duties in
hopes that the judicial branch will rule in favor of the American people, or that if left unaddressed by
legislative action the problem before us will somehow dissipate. History will bear record of whether
we chose to endure tyranny, or oppose it, in this pivotal moment. We invite you to stand with us and
oppose the CR until it explicitly defunds the implementation and enforcement of these mandates. At
a minimum, we need to take a vote on this before funding their enforcement. The livelihoods and
personal freedoms of millions of Americans are at stake.

Sincerely,