Politics

EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Brooks Introduces Bill To Ban Federal Funding For Vaccine Mandates

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Republican Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks introduced a bill on Wednesday that would prohibit federal funds from being used to “establish, implement, or enforce” any vaccine mandate.

The bill, reviewed exclusively by the Daily Caller, is only one sentence long. The Senate voted down a similar amendment when Republicans tried to attach it to a bill providing funding for the federal government.

Brooks’ bill goes further, however, banning the use of federal funds to enforce any vaccine mandate. Federal employees, most notably military personnel, are required to receive certain vaccinations against various infectious diseases, including chickenpox, influenza, measles, mumps and rubella.

“The time for action is now, and the American people deserve to know who is willing to stand with them to defend our constitution, our freedoms, and the principles that have combined to make America the greatest nation in world history. Congress needs to be put on record on where they stand on this issue. I refuse to idly sit by as people lose their jobs and America becomes a scene straight out of 1984,” Brooks told the Daily Caller.

The federal government began tightening COVID-19 vaccine mandate in September, following an increase in delta variant cases. In addition to the mandate for federal employees, President Joe Biden announced that the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) would pass an emergency rule requiring companies that employ more than 100 individuals to either mandate COVID-19 vaccines, or test their employees weekly. That rule has not yet been released. (RELATED: Former FDA Chief Says Biden Went Too Far With Vaccine Mandate And Made Jab ‘Overtly Political’)

Republicans in the House of Representatives, led by Arizona’s Andy Biggs, introduced a bill prohibiting the federal government from instituting vaccine mandates for its employees, or for private sector companies, shortly after Biden announced the mandate. In the wake of Biden’s mandate announcement, some red states announced lawsuits to prevent the provision from going into effect.

Read the bill here:

Brooks 057 XML by Michael Ginsberg