WASHINGTON D.C. — U.S. Senator Mike Braun, R-Ind., along with U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, have introduced a bill surrounding the reinstatement of federal contractors, specifically pilots, who lost their jobs because they did not receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the proposed legislation, Braun and Marshall are calling on the Federal Aviation Administration to reinstate pilots who were fired or forced to resign because of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
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This comes after President Joe Biden passed two executive orders in 2021, requiring all federal contractors, including airlines operating in the United States, to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The order said at the time that all federal employees should take all all available steps to protect themselves and avoid spreading COVID-19 to their co-workers and to the public.
“To promote the health and safety of the federal workforce and the efficiency of the civil service, it is necessary to require COVID-19 vaccination for all federal employees, subject to such exceptions as required by law,” the order read at the time.
In May, the Biden administration announced that the COVID-19 vaccination requirements for federal employees ended. Officials said at the time that the requirements bolstered vaccination across the nation.
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“Our Administration’s vaccination requirements helped ensure the safety of workers in critical workforces including those in the healthcare and education sectors, protecting themselves and the populations they serve, and strengthening their ability to provide services without disruptions to operations,” officials said at the time.
Braun and Marshall said this legislation “seeks to right the wrongs” of the Biden administration who “forced hard-working American people out of not only their jobs, but their careers.”
“No one should have lost their job because they didn’t want to take the COVID vaccine,” Braun said. “President Biden’s vaccine mandates were completely out of line and violated the liberties of key workers who are essential in daily operations of our skies. Cosponsoring this bill to restore fired pilots to their previously held jobs is a no brainer and will help bring this critical industry back to full capacity.”
According to previous reports, Braun has also expressed his intention to run as a republican candidate for Indiana’s Governor position.
