{"id":413099,"date":"2021-12-01T18:33:14","date_gmt":"2021-12-01T18:33:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/radiofree.asia\/?guid=d8f9d89971150a81c5ec4a75d032e1ef"},"modified":"2021-12-01T18:33:14","modified_gmt":"2021-12-01T18:33:14","slug":"republicans-are-threatening-to-shut-down-government-over-bidens-vaccine-mandate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/12\/01\/republicans-are-threatening-to-shut-down-government-over-bidens-vaccine-mandate\/","title":{"rendered":"Republicans Are Threatening to Shut Down Government Over Biden\u2019s Vaccine Mandate"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Mike<\/a>

A group of congressional <\/span>Republicans is threatening to shut down the government this week in a last-ditch attempt to block all funding for the enforcement of President Joe Biden’s coronavirus <\/span>vaccine mandate<\/a> <\/span>for large employers \u2014 a policy that <\/span>right-wing judges<\/a> <\/span>have temporarily put on hold.<\/p>\n

Politico<\/em> <\/span>reported<\/a> <\/span>Wednesday that Senate Republicans led by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah are “planning to object to quick consideration of a stopgap measure to extend funding into early 2022 unless Democratic leaders agree to deny money to enforce the mandate.”<\/p>\n

“Because of the tight schedule \u2014 and Senate rules that require unanimous consent to move quickly \u2014 the senators believe they’ll be able to drag out the process well past midnight Friday, when funding officially expires,” the outlet explained. “The [Senate] group has backup from the House: In a meeting Tuesday night, the House Freedom Caucus voted to pressure Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to take a harder line on the so-called continuing resolution unless Democrats strip out funding to enforce the mandate.”<\/p>\n

The federal government will shut down at the end of the day on December 3 \u2014 in the middle of a deadly pandemic \u2014 if Congress fails to approve a short-term funding bill before then. Though Democrats narrowly control both the House and the Senate, they will need Republican votes in the upper chamber due to the archaic 60-vote filibuster rule, which the majority party has left intact despite <\/span>mounting progressive pressure<\/a> <\/span>to abolish it.<\/p>\n

“The stakes are high,” the <\/span>Washington Post<\/em>’s Rachel Roubein <\/span>noted<\/a> <\/span>Tuesday. “Averting a government shutdown is critical for helping fund the U.S. territories’ Medicaid programs. The current stopgap spending measure sustains federal dollars for their safety net programs. It’s also crucial to keeping government agencies running and providing paychecks to overworked staff in the federal health department.”<\/p>\n

While it’s not clear how many GOP lawmakers intend to go along with Lee’s shutdown plan, 15 Senate Republicans <\/span>signed on<\/a> <\/span>to a letter last month vowing to “use all means at [their] disposal to oppose… legislation that funds or in any way enables the enforcement of President Biden’s employer vaccine mandate.”<\/p>\n

In a <\/span>tweet<\/a> <\/span>Wednesday, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) lambasted the GOP’s shutdown threat as “another hissy fit in the making.”<\/p>\n

“Republicans plan again to take their ball and go home after not getting their way,” Connolly wrote. “Like every other GOP shutdown, this would greatly harm federal employees, contractors, and the American people who need and deserve a functioning government.”<\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Republicans’ ploy to shut down the federal government over Biden’s vaccination requirements amounts to an effort to “prevent essential services from going out to people across the country because they’re upset about our efforts to save peoples lives.”<\/p>\n

\n

WH Press Sec. Jen Psaki hits at \u201cabsurdity\u201d of Republicans threatening to allow government shutdown over vaccine mandates:<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re upset about our efforts to save peoples lives. I\u2019ll just leave that there.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/rj1bLAe9SM<\/a><\/p>\n

— The Recount (@therecount) November 30, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n