Ending Biden’s Vaccine Mandate

When President Biden announced a vaccine mandate for private businesses in September 2021, Senator Mike Braun led the opposition against the “biggest overreach by federal government” that he had ever seen.

This rule came at a time when many businesses, especially small businesses, were already struggling to stay open following the restrictions from the COVID lockdown. Biden’s mandate would have impacted 80 million hard-working Americans.

In November 2021, Braun led all 50 Republicans in the Senate to officially challenge to the mandate with a tool called the Congressional Review Act. The Congressional Review Act (CRA) is used by Congress to overturn White House rules. One month later, the Senate voted on the challenge, forcing all Senators to go on the record whether or not they supported an unconstitutional mandate on what should be every individual’s personal medical decision.

Senator Braun passed the challenge in the Senate with all Republicans and two Democrats, and pushed for immediate passage in the House of Representatives. Braun and his Senate colleagues then joined the House of Representatives in filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States before the upcoming case on the Biden vaccine mandate.

Next month in January 2022, the Supreme Court overturned President Biden’s vaccine mandate for private employees. In the Supreme Court’s majority decision, the majority opinion noted Senator Braun’s objection as the most significant action Congress had taken on the issue.

Senator Braun’s victory in the Senate and the Supreme Court was a huge win for Americans’ liberties and livelihoods. Senator Braun pledged to continue to stand against similar mandates “until they are discontinued in ambition, design, and practice.”

In November 2022, Senator Braun stood with Republican Senators who pledged not to invoke cloture on the NDAA unless the vaccine mandate was removed: a key reason why the vaccine mandate for troops was dropped. The group also pushed for all 3,400 troops who were discharged due to COVID vaccine objections to be reinstated with back pay.

Senator Braun also introduced legislation with Senator Marshall in December 2023 to rehire pilots and other federal contractors who were fired for refusing the COVID vaccine.