With government funding set to expire at midnight on Friday, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are rushing to strike an agreement on a measure to keep the government open.
However, some Republican lawmakers are trying to force a government shutdown over President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
During an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Wednesday, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said, “The president doesn’t have the power to do this? And where is Congress?”
“The Congress needs to man up, stand up, and fight for the American people. And that means don’t fund a government that is tyrannically forcing people to get a vaccine that they don’t want to get,” he added.
Watch the video below:
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) calls on Republican colleagues to force a government shutdown Friday over Biden’s private-sector vaccine mandate:
— The Recount (@therecount) December 1, 2021
“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
As Politico reports, a group of Senate Republicans 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.”
“Because of the tight schedule — and Senate rules that require unanimous consent to move quickly — the senators believe they’ll be able to drag out the process well past midnight Friday, when funding officially expires,” the outlet explained.
In a statement to Politico, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said, “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.”
“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.
In November, the White House unveiled its vaccine requirements for companies that have at least 100 employees and a “majority of healthcare workers.”
Employers “covered” by the new requirement will have to ensure that their employees are fully vaccinated, and workers who are not vaccinated will be required to receive a negative coronavirus test at least once a week and wear a mask in the workplace.
However, provisions requiring employees of larger companies and healthcare workers to be vaccinated have been blocked nationwide by federal judges.
