Comer, Hice Blast President Biden’s Vaccine Mandate for Federal Employees

WASHINGTON – Today, House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) and Subcommittee on Government Operations Ranking Member Jody Hice (R-Ga.) released the following statements on President Biden’s expected executive order requiring all federal employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
 
“The COVID-19 pandemic has taken the lives of far too many Americans. President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed gave us vaccines in record time, and they have proven to be amazingly effective.  However, efforts to take away personal freedoms are the wrong way to go about getting more people vaccinated and moving out of the ongoing COVID crisis. Instead, we need to look at what’s behind many Americans’ concerns, much of which is a consequence of ambiguous and even outright false statements about COVID from the Biden Administration and Dr. Fauci. It is understandable that many Americans distrust the institutions meant to help them protect themselves when they are repeatedly misled.  Transparency and accountability from the Biden Administration, not draconian vaccine mandates, are what will lead us out of this pandemic. Americans’ ability to make choices about their healthcare has more power than any executive order,” said Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.).

“Last year, President Biden promised he would not implement vaccine mandates. Now, as his poll numbers nosedive after he broke his word by abandoning U.S. citizens in Afghanistan, President Biden is rushing to break yet another promise by forcing all federal workers and contractors to accept the COVID-19 vaccine with no exceptions. Vaccine mandates are wrong. Vaccine mandates with no exceptions are insane. This White House is mixing politics with medicine – a toxic combination. Ultimately, vaccines (and any medical treatment) should be a decision made between patients and doctors, not the federal government. This principle applies as much to federal employees as it does any American,” said Subcommittee Ranking Member Jody Hice (R-Ga.).