Motion to Discharge

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, in December, President Biden promised he would not require Americans to be vaccinated or require that they carry vaccine passports. Less than 10 months into his Presidency, I think he must have forgotten what he said, breaking promise after promise and going back on his word. How can the American people believe anything he says?

Americans are sick and tired of the government telling them what to do and are more than capable of making the right choices to protect themselves, their families, and their neighbors. But now, because King Biden has gone back on his word or forgotten what he said, millions of Americans are facing an ultimatum: Get the vaccine or lose your job. For companies, it is either make your employees get the jab or lose your Federal contract.

This is a complete overreach of power. Biden wants to control our lives and make the government be the authority in every area of your life. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that Biden has this power--nowhere.

Listen, I had COVID. I am grateful that I was able to get vaccinated. I hope that all Americans talk with their doctors and consider making the same decision. It is a personal decision every individual gets to make, but that is not how President Biden sees it. That is why I introduced multiple pieces of legislation to push back on these unconstitutional vaccine mandates.

I have introduced the Freedom to Fly Act to prohibit the TSA from requiring Americans to show proof of vaccine or produce a vaccine passport and protect the privacy of American families. I don't believe that the Federal Government has any business requiring travelers to turn over their personal medical information to catch a flight.

I introduced the Stop Mandating Additional Requirements for Travel Act to prohibit the feds from requiring Americans to wear masks on public transportation like Amtrak or on airplanes.

I also introduced the Prevent Unconstitutional Vaccine Mandates for Interstate Commerce Act, which would prevent Federal Agencies like the Department of Transportation from requiring proof of vaccination for companies trying to do business across State lines.

Last month, I introduced legislation to prevent vaccine mandates from being tied to a few of our Federal assistance programs, like Medicare, Social Security, food stamps, and public housing. I hoped everyone in this Chamber would have agreed that we shouldn't force struggling American families to choose between Social Security disability checks and a personal health decision.

Most Americans would be shocked if a politician said it is acceptable to deny someone health insurance or food stamps simply because of their vaccine status. Sadly, Madam President, this is exactly what happened on this floor last month. All I did was request that Americans, regardless of vaccine status, should be able to access a few of our most essential government programs. My Democratic colleagues disagreed every time. The Democratic Party leaves no room for disagreement. They leave no room for compromise. I think it is shameful.

But unlike Joe Biden and Democrats in Washington, I don't believe that government knows better than the American people. My parents didn't have much of a formal education, but they worked hard and made the choices they felt were right for the health and well-being of our family.

As Biden tries to control the lives of every American family, our economy is suffering. Inflation is already skyrocketing, and these vaccine mandates are going to add to it.

Only weeks ago, the Federal Reserve published its latest Beige Book report. In the report, the Fed found that vaccine mandates were widely cited by businesses as a reason for low labor supply and hiring and retention issues. The Federal Reserve admitted what I have been warning about for weeks: Joe Biden's unconstitutional vaccine mandates are causing higher turnover, driving Americans out of their jobs, and further fueling the devastating supply chain and inflation crisis plaguing American families.

When I think about the impact of vaccine mandates, I think about my dad. My dad was a truckdriver. Anyone who has driven trucks or has been close to someone in that line of work knows how demanding the job can be. There is already a driver shortage in this country, and we can't afford to lose any more due to unconstitutional vaccine mandates.

Consider first responders. Dozens of Massachusetts State troopers are threatening to resign over vaccine mandates. Los Angeles County could lose up to 10 percent of its police force. Chicago may see up to 50 percent of its police refusing to comply with vaccine mandates. Seattle is preparing for a mass exodus of officers in the coming weeks due to people who are quitting over vaccine mandates.

For the past several months, we have been seeing rises in violent crime and problems in retaining police officers. We should not add to that ongoing problem by forcing police officers to choose between their jobs and taking a vaccine.

I have called on Secretary Raimondo and Secretary Buttigieg to come before the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee to explain what they are doing to prevent U.S. supply chains from completely crumbling under Biden's failed policies and mandates. Sadly, I haven't heard a word from them, but I do see them on TV all the time. These people love to get on CNN and be commentators. That is not their job. Their job isn't to just point out a problem; their job is to fix it.

Now, we have all seen the disruption that this virus has caused. Many of us know someone who has fallen extremely ill or who has died because of COVID. That is why I am very appreciative of all of those who have worked so hard to develop the vaccine. But I am 100 percent against these unconstitutional mandates.

Being vaccinated is a decision every American gets to make for himself. It is an authoritarian overreach by King Biden to threaten people with job loss unless they get the vaccine. Think about it. Why on Earth would a President do something they know is going to cost someone their job?

Our job within government is to provide people with good information so they can make informed decisions and help create jobs, not kill them. But we are seeing that everything Joe Biden does makes things worse for families and businesses in Florida and across our great country. It is time he rescinds his proposed unconstitutional vaccine mandate.

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