Some Republicans in U.S. Congress try to close government over vaccine mandates

Congress has until midnight on Friday to pass a measure continuing to fund federal government operations or face a partial shutdown during a pandemic that would be a political embarrassment to President Joe Biden's Democrats, who narrowly control both chambers of Congress. The hard-right Republican House Freedom Caucus called on Senate colleagues on Wednesday to vote against any measure, known as a "continuing resolution," that would support Biden's requirements that workers at federal contractors and large companies receive the COVID-19 vaccine.


Reuters | Updated: 02-12-2021 00:43 IST | Created: 02-12-2021 00:43 IST
Some Republicans in U.S. Congress try to close government over vaccine mandates

U.S. lawmakers' efforts to keep the U.S. government operating hit a stumbling block on Wednesday as a group of hard-line Republicans threatened to try to block any plan that allowed COVID-19 vaccine mandates to proceed. Congress has until midnight on Friday to pass a measure continuing to fund federal government operations or face a partial shutdown during a pandemic that would be a political embarrassment to President Joe Biden's Democrats, who narrowly control both chambers of Congress.

The hard-right Republican House Freedom Caucus called on Senate colleagues on Wednesday to vote against any measure, known as a "continuing resolution," that would support Biden's requirements that workers at federal contractors and large companies receive the COVID-19 vaccine. "Use all procedural tools at your disposal to deny timely passage of the CR unless it prohibits funding - in all respects - for the vaccine mandates and enforcement thereof," the group wrote in an open letter to top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell.

Some Republican senators agreed with the blocking tactic. "We should use the leverage we have to fight against what are illegal, unconstitutional and abusive mandates," said Senator Ted Cruz. But McConnell did not seem overly concerned. "We're going to be okay" he told reporters who asked if there might be a government shutdown.

House Republicans do not have enough votes to block legislation. But most legislation requires 60 votes to advance in the evenly divided 100-seat Senate, so Democrats would need support from at least 10 Senate Republicans to get to a vote on passage of a government funding bill. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters talks with McConnell on funding the government were "making good progress."

"I urge those Republicans who are thinking of poisoning this entire process for their own items to take a step back," Schumer said on the Senate floor. Other lawmakers suggested one way to solve the problem would be to allow a separate vote on the vaccine mandates. Negotiations between the two parties are focused on how long to continue to fund the government. Democrats want to extend current funding levels until January and then pass new spending bills, while Republicans have urged a delay until later in the spring, a move that would leave spending at levels agreed to when Republican Donald Trump was president.

The Biden administration was blocked in court on Tuesday from enforcing two mandates requiring millions of American workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a key part of its strategy for controlling the spread of the coronavirus. One federal judge temporarily blocked enforcement of a government mandate for healthcare workers. Another blocked the administration from enforcing a regulation that new government contracts must include clauses requiring that contractors' employees get vaccinated.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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