House Panel Investigating Federal Vaccine Mandate
A House committee opened an investigation into the vaccine mandate required for federal government employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Representative Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, wrote that he wants information on the “development and implementation of overreaching, federal COVID-19 vaccination mandates and policies.”
Representative Wenstrup wrote to the Department of Defense (DOD), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Department of Labor (DOL), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) asking for access to documents, communications, and guidance that led to the creation of the vaccine policies. The committee is also asking for data on requested exemptions and terminations due to the vaccine mandate.
While the vaccine mandate officially ended in May, and was not being enforced after being blocked by an appellate court, Representative Wenstrup says investigating the issue will help “inform Congressional action should there be a future pandemic.”
Letters to Agencies
In each of the letters, Representative Wenstrup questioned the impact of the vaccine mandate on the federal workforce.
In the letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Representative Wenstrup wrote that the mandate “forced DoD civilians and armed service members to comply with taking the COVID-19 vaccine or risk adverse personnel action” and that the order raised “serious concerns regarding the vaccine mandate’s effect on military readiness.”
In the letter to OPM Director Kiran Ahuja, Representative Wenstrup asked for information on discussions between OPM and the White House, as well as advice from the medical community and unions.
In the letter to Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, Representative Wenstrup asked for information on how the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) implemented an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) writing that the “ETS mandate was breathtaking in its scope, applying to approximately 84 million American employees and preempting any contrary states laws.”
In the letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, Representative Wenstrup asked for information on why the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) tried to waive the 60-day delay before implementing the rule requiring workers to get the vaccine.
While Republicans have long criticized vaccine mandates, saying they take away private medical decisions and individual freedom, the Biden Administration said the vaccine mandate “helped ensure the safety of workers in critical workforces including those in the healthcare and education sector.”
The administration says that 98 percent of workers complied with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.