Lankford Celebrates Victory for Private Businesses Against Biden’s Vaccine Mandate as OSHA Suspends Enforcement

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford issued the following statement after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration suspended implementation and enforcement of the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for private employers after a ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit blocked the measure last week:

“This win for workers is long overdue as many of us have pushed back hard for months against Biden’s unconstitutional vaccine mandate,” said Lankford. “The Fifth Circuit was exactly right to block OSHA’s mandate, which forced businesses with 100 or more employees to fire any worker that did not agree to Biden’s mandate. My bill to get rid of the President’s Executive Order and mandate was blocked by Democrats, so this relief from the courts was welcome. Federal employees, contractors and members of the military still are living under a separate vaccine mandate that I will continue to fight against. The majority of Oklahomans have taken the vaccine, but they also overwhelmingly oppose people being fired from their job if they do not also agree to take the vaccine. ”

Today, Lankford joined Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) and all 48 of their Republican Senate colleagues to file a formal challenge against President Biden’s vaccine mandate under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which is the official process for Congress to eliminate an Executive Branch rule. For several months, Lankford has pushed back on Biden’s vaccine mandates targeting federal employees, contractors, and the military. Lankford tried to force a vote on his Stop Vaccine Mandate Act, which was blocked by Democrats. Lankford introduced the Stop Vaccine Mandates Act to repeal President Biden’s Executive Order that mandates vaccines for federal employees and federal contractors. Lankford has been vocal about President Biden’s Executive Order. He sent a letter to President Biden outlining his concerns with the vaccine mandates and has stood firmly with Oklahoma service members, health care workers, federal employees, and private-sector workers who have chosen so far not to be vaccinated.

Lankford immediately opposed Biden’s vaccine mandate when it was announced in early September. Lankford received the vaccine and continues to encourage Oklahomans to get the vaccine. But he does not believe anyone should be forced to choose between their job and getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

Lankford penned an op-ed on how Biden’s vaccine mandate and insistence that everyone should just “do what he says” looks more like something from the communist Chinese government or Putin’s Russia, not the United States. 

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