Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kansas) released a statement Monday on the Senate's vote to block the Biden Administration's overreaching vaccine mandate, the introduction of a Congressional Review Act in the House, and area employers halting vaccine mandates. The Senate vote occurred after Republicans also introduced a Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to overturn federal regulations.
"The federal government should not be forcing Americans to make a health care decision or lose their job," said Rep. Estes. "President Biden's vaccine mandates were a blatant overreach of power, and the Senate confirmed that in a Congressional Review Act that would end the mandate for employers with 100 or more employees. I was also pleased to join my House colleagues in introducing a Congressional Review Act that would stop the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) vaccine mandate for health care workers. As these mandates are meeting legislative and judicial challenges, area employers are rolling back their mandate implementation, which means Kansans won't be facing forced resignations and job losses around the Christmas season."
"I am in the health care field, and we are already struggling so much to maintain adequate staffing," wrote one health care worker on Rep. Estes' Share Your Story webpage at estes.house.gov/stories. "A vaccine mandate would make the staffing crisis we are faced with now so much worse. Even though I am vaccinated, if I lose all employees who, by their personal choice and right to their own bodies, I am not sure I will be able to remain in the field myself."
A CRA resolution allows an expedited process for the House and Senate to review federal regulations and, upon passage, revoke the regulation. In order to overturn a federal regulation, the resolution must pass both chambers of Congress and be signed by the president, or receive a 2/3 majority vote in each chamber to override a president's veto.
Rep. Estes has also introduced legislation to protect religious liberty exemptions and cosponsored legislation to stop vaccine mandates, as well as signing a letter seeking answers from the White House. He also launched a Share Your Story webpage at estes.house.gov/stories. Rep. Estes will share the collected stories with the Biden administration, congressional colleagues and fellow Kansans as he works to prevent these mandates from taking effect.
