Friday's COVID-19 mandate for private employers by the Biden administration poses serious risks to some Americans and further burdens the economy. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said that it is close to the definition of madness.
Are all of these policy solutions effective? What about the shutdowns? Johnson rhetorically asked about mandates during remarks at The Heritage Foundation on Thursday.
According to the Wisconsin Republican, 750,000 Americans died from COVID-19. There are trillions in additional debts and psychological damage to children as a result of long school closings. The government's response has been a failure.
At some point, I believe we need to get to the bottom of what Albert Einstein said. Johnson stated that insanity can be defined as repeating the same thing over and again, expecting different results.
We are now proposing another policy prescription. These mandates will be unbelievably damaging to our economy, our health care sector and our military readiness. And we are just barreling ahead," he said to Heritage, the parent organization to The Daily Signal.
This is the largest mandate for vaccines by the Biden administration, which follows mandates to federal contractors and employees. It's being imposed by OSHA on all employers with more than 100 employees.
Multiple lawsuits were filed Thursday in an attempt to contest the constitutionality and mandate for private employers. They came from Arizona, the Job Creators Network, which advocates small businesses, and The Daily Wire (an online news outlet).
OSHA's emergency rule, which is part the Labor Department, was not well received in court cases. Others have indicated that they will bring suit to block the mandate.
Paul Larkin, a legal researcher fellow at The Heritage Foundation, stated that federal agencies only have the authority Congress has given them. To impose a vaccine mandate by a federal agency, it is necessary to examine the statutes that give them authority or have jurisdiction over a specific area.
Larkin also added:
We are referring to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Occupational Safety and Health Act in this instance. It is clear that the statute's text, which includes the text of all the provisions dealing standard, and temporary standards, makes it easy to see.
Johnson stated that he didn't receive a COVID-19 vaccine because he had natural immunity. However, he stressed that he was not against vaccinations.
Senator McConnell said that he supports Operation Warp Speed. This public-private partnership was launched by President Donald Trump in 2020. It waived regulations to speed up the production of a COVID-19 vaccination. The effort eventually resulted in three federally approved vaccines that were available for adults.
Johnson stated that vaccines should be a personal decision. He also stressed the importance of recognizing any side effects.
Johnson stated that when someone says vaccine injuries are rare or mild, it's like someone pointing out fingernails on a chalkboard. Vaccine injuries can happen.
He stated that over 800,000 adverse reactions were reported due to COVID-19 vaccines.
He said that many doctors and nurses don't follow the workplace mandates that were in place before the Biden administration's federal order.
Johnson stated that many nurses and doctors are heroes in COVID. They had the compassion and courage to help COVID patients. Some died, others survived. They now treat COVID injuries. They won't get the vaccine, I can assure you. We will lose decades and decades of experience. One hospital I know of has no full-time nurses. They are using travelling nurses.
Biden's administration claims that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's emergency rule will provide protection for approximately 80 million American workers against grave danger.
COVID-19 continues its hold on our workforce and economy and will continue to do so, according to Jeff Zients, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh.
American workers expect and deserve a safe and healthy work environment. This rule will impact more than 80,000,000 workers. It will save thousands of lives, and prevent 250,000 workers from being hospitalized in the next six months.
Another possibility is that Americans who would otherwise get vaccinated may become too naive and decide not to get the federally mandated vaccine. Dr. Martin Makary, a surgeon and professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, spoke at the Heritage Foundation event.
Makary wondered if it was a politician promoting vaccines on television or a local doctor arguing for vaccinations to his patients.
He said that the power of testimonials from local medical professionals in the context of the relationship is the best vehicle to make those at risk immune.
Makary said that he was also concerned by the push to force COVID-19 vaccinations on Americans.
We have crossed the line and now consider this a punishment for the first time. Makary stated that people said that we should test people twice daily at their expense.
He said that what we are seeing is a form class warfare, which results from people being out of touch. Later, he added:
Half of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck. When their antibodies aren't approved by Dr. Anthony Fauci for the correct type of COVID antibodies, it is a tragedy in America. This pandemic has been a success for the wealthy. Many are renovating their homes and not making them smaller. It is difficult to find clip and nail, wood and ceramic tiles. It has been a great time for the wealthy Americans, but it has been very difficult for the rest of America.
According to Doug Badger, senior fellow for domestic policies studies at Heritage, there were 10.4 million unfilled jobs as of August. 1.5 million of these were in the sector of social services.
While there are many causes for these shortages of labor, Badger stated that vaccine mandates cannot move in the right direction.
He said: Government policy should encourage people back to work when there is a shortage of labor. These job-or-jab ultimatums can only lead to a worse economy.
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