Fish, Family, Freedom was Rep. Mary Peltola’s campaign slogan. But in the House of Representatives today, Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola vote no on a bill that would give health care workers the freedom to choose whether to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
Freedom for Health Care Workers Act passed 227 to 203, with nearly all Democrats voting against giving health care workers the right to choose. Four member did not vote.
All Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while five Democrats voted with the Republicans.
The bill, H.R. 497, if passed by the Senate and signed by the president, nullifies a rule titled Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination, which was issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Nov. 5, 2021. The rule requires health care providers, as a condition of Medicare and Medicaid participation, to ensure that staff are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
During her campaign, Peltola said that vaccine mandates should not be required nationally.
President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the bill if it makes it to his desk.
“The bipartisan passage of the Freedom for Health Care Workers Act in the House is a win for medical freedom and individual liberty,” said Congressman Jeff Duncan, the bill’s sponsor. “Over the past few years, far too many Americans were forced to get this shot against their will to keep their job, while others were fired or forced to walk away from their profession altogether. I began leading the charge against Joe Biden’s authoritarian vaccine mandate in 2021 when the frontline workers who were praised as heroes in the early days of the pandemic were forced to get to the shot or get out, even as we struggled with a nationwide staff shortage in the health care industry.”
Imposing the COVID shot on health care workers is unscientific and un-American, especially as we now know the COVID shot is ineffective at preventing transmission, Duncan said.
“Joe Biden’s draconian COVID authoritarianism has no place in this country, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to ‘follow the science’ and see this legislation through. While this is an important step, the fight is far from over, and I will continue fighting to end all of Joe Biden’s remaining COVID mandates,” the South Carolina congressman said.
FreedomWorks, a grassroots group that fights for personal liberty, said it consistently believes the decision on whether to receive the Covid-19 vaccine should be left up to the individual and not the government.
“Congress should also be the branch that writes laws that impacts every American, not unelected bureaucrats. Hospitals and health care systems across the country are facing staffing issues that are directly impacting the quality of care Americans receive and keeping qualified individuals from working only worsens the crisis and harms more people. We thank Rep. Duncan for being a leading voice for Freedom through his service in Congress,” FreedomWorks wrote.
Associated Builders and Contractors also praised the bill saying, “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, ABC member employers consistently demonstrated their commitment and willingness to create safe and healthy job site conditions because health and safety are always our No. 1 priority. H.R. 497 would eliminate unnecessary compliance costs and burdens imposed on contractors that provide vital services to our nation’s hospitals and health care facilities and would ensure work opportunities for thousands of experienced, skilled construction workers throughout the country.”
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