SC congressman proposes bill to block Biden’s COVID vaccine mandates
A congressman from South Carolina introduced a bill Tuesday seeking to block President Joe Biden’s mandate for all federal employees and subcontractors to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.
U.S. Rep. William Timmons, R-Greenville, filed the bill, dubbed the “COVID–19 Individual Liberty Act of 2021,” in response to Biden’s push to increase the COVID-19 vaccination rate across the country.
“I have continually said that the COVID-19 vaccine should be a decision one makes with their doctors—not politicians,” Timmons said in a statement. “Forcing someone to choose between their job and a vaccine is not a choice; it is coercion.”
Specifically, Timmons’ bill would reverse the vaccine mandate for federal contractors and subcontractors. The move would have a direct effect on some companies operating in South Carolina, like Boeing, which told workers they could be fired if they don’t get vaccinated.
Federal contractors have until Dec. 8 to comply with Biden’s mandate.
The bill would also reverse the mandate that federal workers get vaccinated and block the requirement for those seeking to participate in Medicare or Medicaid.
The bill also would tie caveats to federal funding doled out to fight COVID-19. If the bill were to pass, COVID-19 dollars from the federal government could not be used to enforce any vaccine mandate.
“South Carolinians need relief from mandates and forced medical requirements,” Timmons said in a statement. “My legislation, the COVID-19 Individual Liberty Act, will block these unconstitutional mandates, recognize that natural immunity is real, prevent the federal government from imposing vaccine passports, and restore individual liberty to the American people.”
Along with tackling any vaccine mandates that have been issued or may be issued in the future, Timmons’ bill would ban the federal government from issuing vaccine passports or creating policies that could “discriminate” using said passports.
Timmons’ bill also would require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to explore the extent to which natural immunity gained from contracting and surviving COVID-19 can provide protection.
A new study from Yale’s School of Public Health found that unvaccinated individuals relying on natural immunity should expect to be reinfected with COVID-19 every 16-17 months.
Timmons’ bill is in response to a flurry of vaccine mandates issued by Biden earlier this year.
Along with mandates for federal workers and contractors, Biden also released a plan to require businesses with more than 100 employees to issue vaccine mandates or to require unvaccinated employees to get tested regularly for COVID-19. The Biden administration is expected to release details of that requirement this week.
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 4:08 PM.
