Democrat Kansas Governor Says No To Biden’s Vaccine Mandate

November 7, 2021 1,015

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OPINION: This article contains commentary which reflects the author's opinion

It is becoming more of a challenge for President Joe Biden to issue his vaccine mandates now that there are even some Democrats who oppose them.
Democrat Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly spoke against the vaccine mandates on Friday saying she did not think they are correct or effective.
“Yesterday, I reviewed the new vaccine mandate from the Biden administration. While I appreciate the intention to keep people safe, a goal I share, I don’t believe the directive is the correct, or the most effective solution for Kansas. States have been leading the fight against COVID-19 from the start of the pandemic. It is too late to impose a federal standard now that we have already developed systems and strategies that are tailored for our specific needs. I will seek a resolution that continues to recognize the uniqueness of our state and builds on our ongoing efforts to combat a once-in-a-century crisis,” she said.
The decision by the governor could be based on politics as she is in a state that tends to be Republican, but it comes as some Republican senators have vowed to block funding for the mandates.
A group of Republican senators led by Maryland Sen. Roger Marshall sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader and New York Sen. Charles Schumer vowing to block any funding of the mandate.
“On September 9, 2021, President Biden announced plans to impose a sweeping COVID-19 vaccine mandate that, while ostensibly targeting America’s employers, will hurt workers. Using the threat of crippling fines, the president’s mandate would compel all private employers with at least 100 employees to take action against workers who decline to be vaccinated. This is wrong—morally, legally, and constitutionally. Accordingly, we will oppose all efforts to implement and enforce it with every tool at our disposal, including our votes on spending measures considered by the Senate,” the letter said.
“To be sure, we agree that countless Americans have benefitted from the protection offered by the COVID-19 vaccines. Nevertheless, the decision whether to be vaccinated against COVID-19 is a highly personal one that should never be forced upon individuals by the federal government. President Biden has chosen to disregard the personal autonomy of free citizens. Some choose not to be vaccinated because of sincere religious beliefs, others because of unique and potentially serious medical conditions. Others have fully recovered from a previous COVID-19 infection and feel adequately protected by natural immunity, which according to some studies is 27 times stronger than immunity derived from a vaccine. But regardless of their reasons, those who choose not to receive the jab deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, especially by their own government. People in any civilized nation should expect nothing less,” the senators said.
“President Biden is waging a cruel campaign to punish unvaccinated Americans—depriving them of their ability to provide for their families. This is nothing short of immoral. There are so many humane ways to defeat this virus. Depriving law-abiding citizens of their livelihood must not be included among them,” the group said.
“This punishment is not simply reserved for those who – for their own good reasons – decline to get the jab. President Biden’s mandate will punish everyone by crippling our nation. As companies and state and local governments begin to fall in line behind President Biden’s proclamation, issuing their own mandates to ensure their compliance, the societal consequences of these mandates are starting to manifest as examples of what is to come,” the letter said.
It went on to cite examples like the crime ridden city of Chicago potentiall losing a third of its police force, New York City possibly losing 33 percent of its firefighters, the United States having 400,000 troops who are unvaccinated, and trucking companies possibly losing 33 percent of their workforce as a supply chain issue still effects the nation.
“If the vaccine mandate is allowed to be fully implemented, the result could be catastrophic. Many Americans who have decided to not comply with the vaccine mandate will not suddenly accept coercion. That is their God given right. Any attempt to blame this impending catastrophe on those choosing not to take the jab would be severely misplaced,” the senators said.
“President Biden chose to employ unnecessarily coercive methods. President Biden made a bet that he could force people to comply with his edicts by threatening their livelihoods. He was so sure of his winning hand that he wagered the machinery that allows our nation to function. When he loses that bet the blame will be fully his. It is wrong to gamble with people’s livelihoods. It is unwise to bet that Americans will cave to petty tyranny,” they said.
The senators argued that the president does not have the Constitutional authority to employ the “breathtakingly vindictive and unprecedented action.”

But the Constitution does give the legislative branch the power to decide what will be funded, and that is where these senators have vowed to stop the president’s madness.
“To that end, please be advised (many weeks in advance of the current spending period, which ends on December 3, 2021) that we will not support—and will use all means at our disposal to oppose—legislation that funds or in any way enables the enforcement of President Biden’s employer vaccine mandate. Nor will we vote for or support cloture on any continuing resolution in the absence of language protecting Americans from this action.”

Democrat Kansas Governor Says No To Biden's Vaccine Mandate - Conservative Brief