[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 191 (Monday, November 1, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7531-S7533]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                Vaccines

  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I am beginning to feel a little bit 
like a broken record when I am here on the floor and talking about all 
the ways that Tennesseans feel like this administration has backed them 
into a corner.
  It doesn't matter if I am going to fill up the car with that rising 
price in gas, or if I am at the grocery store and could not believe 
this weekend there is so little on the shelves and they are so short-
staffed.
  People are very anxious about this. I had a lady that just about was 
not going to let me go there in the dairy section of the grocery store 
because she was really upset with what this administration is doing. 
Whether it is inflation or the vaccine mandate, she is really upset 
with what she would like to call the ``White House P.R. operation.'' 
And she knows that inflation and supply chain problems are here. It is 
not temporary. It wasn't transient. It is something that they are 
dealing with every day, and Tennesseans are seeing this at every stop 
along their busy days.
  They have watched this administration abandon the southern border. 
You know, they don't use that term lightly, but I think it is 
instructive to focus in on that. This administration has abandoned the 
southern border.
  These actions are intentional actions--intentional. Whether you talk 
to Border Patrol or the local sheriff, they look at what Democrats in 
Washington are doing, and they see this as being intentional.
  They also look at how this administration chose to abandon a 
productive energy policy. In January, we were an exporter--an 
exporter--of energy. And, today, we have a President--a very weak 
President--who is groveling to OPEC, begging them--begging them--to 
sell us more fuel. What a difference. What a difference.

  And this administration--when I was up in Clarksville where Fort 
Campbell is located, I was out on post, and I was visiting with 
Tennesseans there in Clarksville. They feel as if this administration 
has abandoned our troops, abandoned civilians and allies in Afghanistan 
as we handed over 20 years' worth of hard-fought territory to the

[[Page S7532]]

new ``axis of evil,'' which is Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea--
abandoned, left, forgotten about. Over the past few weeks, they have 
learned that even their recreational social media use might be putting 
their families at risk.
  Meanwhile, things here on Capitol Hill are such a mess that, from 
their perspective, it is neither reasonable nor rational to believe 
that the Democratic majority is willing to put country before party and 
politics and fix this mess that this administration has made this year. 
In fact, the Democrats are so focused on their own Big Government 
narrative that they have managed to outdo themselves with the mandate 
from on high that goes further than ever before to control deeply 
personal healthcare decisions.
  Of course, the Democrats are no stranger to this. They championed the 
Affordable Care Act and all its bureaucracy, but this time, they have 
truly put the full force of the executive branch of the U.S. Government 
between a patient and a doctor. That is right. The decision is not one 
you will make with your doctor; it is one that the Federal Government 
is making and forcing--forcing--on you. This COVID-19 vaccine mandate 
has people really upset. They see this as a power play.
  Today, I talked to a lady who works for a government contractor. All 
of the family's insurance and benefits come through her. Her husband is 
a small business person, and she has a child with disabilities. She 
begged me to keep fighting against this mandate.
  She said: You know, I am in the position that I had to get this--even 
though a family member of hers had a terrible adverse reaction, and she 
was concerned being the primary breadwinner for her family and the one 
that provides their healthcare insurance benefits. And she had a 
reaction, a bad reaction.
  But she feels like what we are seeing is another opportunistic power 
play that betrays the very people who risked their safety to prevent 
the economy from collapsing during the pandemic--that is right, the 
essential workers, people who showed up and did their job.
  The lady I talked to today was an essential worker. She did her job 
all through the pandemic. The States deemed these individuals essential 
workers because they showed up. They spent their days transporting food 
and clothing across the country, stocking shelves in grocery stores, 
and keeping armed rioters at bay.
  They never stopped working. They never missed a beat. They put 
themselves in danger and adapted to circumstances made worse by forced 
lockdowns. These are the people who couldn't have worked from home if 
they wanted to. They are the cop on the beat. They are the truck driver 
who is in the cab of that truck. They are the healthcare worker 
standing at a bedside. They are an airline worker who is making certain 
that people are safe and planes are safe to fly.
  And, now, they are the ones that Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and this 
administration have chosen to threaten with an executive ultimatum: Get 
the shot, or we are going to get you fired.
  That is right. Imagine that. The President of the United States says: 
You go get the jab, or I am going to get you fired from your job--what 
an ultimatum, what a way to run a country.
  But that is what he is doing. The White House crossed so many lines 
with this one: practical lines, ethical lines, constitutional lines. So 
last week, I introduced the Keeping Our COVID-19 Heroes Employed Act to 
push this administration back on the rails and protect these essential 
workers from having to choose between submitting to the mandate or 
losing the right to provide for their families.
  It is a simple solution to a very big problem. It would lock in the 
definitions of essential worker used by the States during the pandemic 
and then protect those workers from being fired under COVID vaccine 
requirements. It would nullify the Executive orders mandating vaccines 
for essential Federal workers and contractors and preempt OSHA from 
issuing regulations that would require employees to vaccinate if those 
employees qualify as an essential worker.
  We are getting a tremendous amount of support for this legislation. 
On the national level, we have heard from the Fraternal Order of 
Police, the National Sheriffs' Association, the Chicago Fraternal Order 
of Police, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the 
National Border Patrol Council, and from the Tennessee Chamber of 
Commerce, Tennessee Ambulance Service Association, Owner-Operator 
Independent Drivers Association, the National Association of Small 
Trucking Companies, and then from several individual officials--
Democrat and Republican alike--and from different organizations.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent this list be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

     Keeping Our COVID-19 Heroes Employed Act List of Endorsements


                        national law enforcement

       --Fraternal Order of Police
       --National Sheriffs' Association
       --Chicago Fraternal Order of Police
       --Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association
       --National Border Patrol Council


                           industry advocacy

       --Tennessee Chamber of Commerce
       --Tennessee Ambulance Service Association
       --Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA)
       --National Association of Small Trucking Companies


                          tennessee officials

       --Congressman Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.)
       --Glenn Jacobs, Mayor of Knox County Tennessee
       --Justin Hanson, Mayor of Covington, Tennessee
       --Sheriff Russell Barker, Anderson County Tennessee
       --Sheriff Tim Fuller, Franklin County Tennessee
       --Sheriff Tom Spangler, Knox County Tennessee


                         activist organizations

       --Texas Public Policy Foundation
       --Heritage Foundation
       --FreedomWorks
       --American Principles Project
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, see, these are individuals on the 
front line, and they take exception to what is going on with this 
administration and this Executive order that is forcing them to get a 
shot that maybe their doctor is saying: Hey, this is not one for you to 
take.
  Maybe they are a young woman trying to have a baby. Maybe they are 
somebody who has a history of heart disease or lung disease or 
neuromuscular issues in their family and someone has had an adverse 
reaction.
  You know what? People are smart. They are going to figure this out 
and figure out what works best for them. During the pandemic, the 
essential workers figured this out, and they ought to be exempt.
  The Biden administration claims that this mandate is the ticket to 
freedom, return to normal. But here is the problem with this and why 
that falls on deaf ears. These essential workers returned to normal 
months ago--if they ever left a normal routine--and their working 
conditions have been made more difficult now than ever.
  Businesses are desperate for workers. In August, the U.S. economy had 
10.4 million jobs waiting to be filled. That is right, 10.4 million 
jobs. We are going to get unemployment numbers this weekend on Friday. 
I think it is going to be interesting to see what those numbers tell 
us.
  Oh, the supply chain--I mentioned the grocery store and what I found 
there. Well, the supply chains are a mess. We need 80,000 truck drivers 
right now--today--if we want to make an honest attempt at filling the 
need there to get products to stores. We can't afford the toll these 
mandates are taking on the supply chain workforce or on law enforcement 
or border security or the healthcare sector or the airline industry, 
the transportation and logistics industry.
  And make no mistake, the day of reckoning is already here. As I said, 
these workers have figured this out. They are smart. They don't hate 
the country. And it is ridiculous that some people try to equate those 
that don't get the vaccine with hating the country. These individuals 
are not anti-vaxxers. They are not anti-science. What they are is this: 
They are anti-unconstitutional mandate and a government overreach that 
is going to interfere in their relationship with their doctor. That is 
what they are against.
  Mr. President, don't we all remember the lie of the decade in 2010 
with

[[Page S7533]]

ObamaCare: If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.
  And what we are looking at right now is something that is an equal 
overreach: You can't keep your job if you won't get this jab. It is an 
overreach.
  People that I am talking to are really anti these mandates that would 
force them into submission or, in some cases, into poverty, like the 
young mom that I talked to who works for a government contractor--sole 
supporter of her family at this point, has one child, wants to have 
another child, and because of this mandate, she is going to lose her 
job, a job she loves--and her employer loves her. But she is wanting to 
make certain she can have that second child.
  These workers are very pro-freedom, and they are taking a stand on 
principle. They are pro-freedom. They are pro-individual rights, and 
what they want is for this administration to stop it, to stop their 
push to this socialist agenda, stop trying to force them into taking a 
vaccine, which is another step to having government control of their 
healthcare.
  You know, they look at what the Democrats in Washington, DC, are 
doing, and they see that they are trying to take one vote. They want to 
win. They want to win on putting everything together--one vote--and 
then flipping the country to their socialist agenda--one vote: 
government control of your kids, of your healthcare, of your bank 
account, of your life, cradle to grave, daylight to dark, sunup to 
sundown, 24/7, 365.
  You know, I have to tell you, we thought that when the Obama campaign 
came out with their little caricatures and cartoon-type character--only 
it was really frightening--``The Life of Julia,'' we thought, this is 
ridiculous how Julia never needed anybody or anything but the Federal 
Government.
  Well, some of that same crowd in the White House has now come up with 
``The Life of Linda,'' and Linda must be related to Julia because Linda 
has the same type life experiences as Julia. There is no mention of a 
family or a husband, but Linda has a child. Linda works for the 
government. The government is in control.
  See, that is what the Democratic Party wants--socialism. They are 
very happy with that--cradle to grave; daylight to dark; total control; 
tell you what to do; tell you what your job is going to be; tell you 
what you are going to study in school; take control of your children; 
send them to study whatever they want; and then have them work in a way 
that the government tells them they are going to work.
  But what we are seeing play out in this country is the American 
people standing up and saying: Enough is enough. We don't want your 
mandate. We are tired of all of your chaotic cycle of gaslighting and 
government overreach. We are pushing back on your push to a socialist 
agenda.
  I am heartened that they are not afraid to say ``no, no, no'' to what 
the Democrats are trying to push, and they are going to continue to 
push back because they see what is happening for what it is--a 
destructive, radical agenda that will destroy freedom of choice, free 
people, free markets, and opportunity for their children and future 
generations.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.