Sen. Dan Sullivan, in an Oct. 29 interview on Fox Business Network, urged employers across the country not to fire workers who refuse to comply with President Joe Biden’s COVID shot mandates for federal employees and contractors. Sullivan applauded the Alaska Railroad Corporation for rescinding its initial vaccine mandate pending the outcome of legal challenges to Biden’s order.
“We all want to put the COVID-19 pandemic behind us, and I’ve encouraged everyone to get vaccinated, in consultation with their doctor,” Sullivan said. “But the President of the United States does not have the constitutional or statutory authority to mandate vaccinations.”
Sullivan observed that just last year a key bi-partisan principle was ensuring that businesses receiving pandemic relief retained their workers.
“Joe Biden is now taking a sledgehammer to that connection, telling American businesses to fire employees who do not comply,” Sullivan said. “Forcing employers to fire thousands of Americans right before the holidays is wrong and unthinkable. I’m glad to see a movement of employers, like the Alaska Railroad Corporation, standing up and rejecting these mandates, and I’ll continue to encourage others to stand by their hard-working employees.”
Senators Sullivan and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) sent an Oct. 28 letter to White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients demanding that the White House clarify its COVID-19 vaccine mandate policy after Zients, on Wednesday, indicated federal agencies and contractors will not be required to immediately fire employees who are unvaccinated by the Dec. 8 deadline.
