After voting to eliminate Pres. Joe Biden’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) vaccine mandate, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) issued the following statement:
“I’ve repeatedly heard from Iowa health care workers who are gravely concerned the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate would make it more difficult for folks to receive care – especially in rural areas where hospitals are already facing a labor shortage. That’s why I’ve worked to support our health care workforce by adding 1,000 more doctors, with a priority on rural areas, and I’ve sponsored legislation to give health care workers more flexibility so licensed pharmacists, mental health counselors, audiologists and physical therapists, to name a few, can help care for our seniors.
“It’s also why I’ve fought tooth-and-nail against the administration’s heavy-handed vaccine mandate. While I continue to encourage Iowans to get vaccinated, it’s a personal decision that ought to be made by individuals and their doctors, not mandated by the federal government. Right now, the last thing our hospitals, nursing homes and health care workers need is more red tape. I’ll continue working to put a stop to mandates that erode freedom and place a harmful burden on Iowa’s health care providers.”
The Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution, which Grassley cosponsored, passed the Senate today on a vote of 49 to 44.
In December and February, Grassley supported efforts that would have prevented the federal government from implementing or enforcing all vaccine mandates. Soon after Biden announced the vaccine mandates, Grassley cosponsored a separate CRA resolution to halt vaccine mandates on private businesses. That resolution passed with bipartisan support in December.
