{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=202EF3FA-1EE2-494D-A62A-219C6465C950", "President Biden\u2019s Illegal Vaccine Mandate is \u201cBlatant Overreach\u201d", "2021-12-08", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the vaccine mandate:\n\n\u201cFor the last two years, as the country has battled COVID-19, I have been a strong and constant advocate of following the science and taking precautions.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s included strong support for the safe and effective vaccines that have helped millions of Americans substantially lower their risk of death or serious illness.\n\n\u201cI took advantage of these modern medical miracles as soon as I could. I\u2019ve received a booster. I\u2019ve encouraged Kentuckians and all Americans to take full advantage as well. I have recorded public service announcements.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m a survivor of childhood polio. I\u2019ve watched vaccines obliterate polio in our entire country in my lifetime. Trust me, there is no bigger proponent of vaccination.\n\n\u201cBut here\u2019s the thing, Mr. President. The United States of America is a free country. The federal government, elites in Washington, cannot micromanage citizens\u2019 personal choices without a legitimate basis in the law and the Constitution. And that goes double for Presidents going far beyond the bounds of their office and their authority.\n\n\u201cPresident Biden\u2019s absurd private-sector vaccine mandate is blatant overreach. It is illegal. The Administration has already lost in federal court and had it blocked.\n\n\u201cWashington Democrats have lashed themselves to a mast that is very simple: Unvaccinated people should be fired. That\u2019s what they want. They don\u2019t trust individuals, families, doctors, employers, and customers to sort things out for themselves. They want every worker at a medium-sized business and up to either get this shot or get fired by President Biden. And buried in the illegal mandate is a call to explore whether it should expand to all businesses.\n\n\u201cThis is not how things work in America. Period.\n\n\u201cWorkers are not happy. Medium-sized businesses are not happy, especially not in the middle of this worker shortage.\n\n\u201cAnd frankly nobody who understands our system of government is happy.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve heard from so many Kentuckians who are affected by the Administration\u2019s suite of several unwise vaccine mandates.\n\n\u201cQuote: \u2018My wife\u2026 was notified that if she doesn\u2019t get fully vaccinated by January 4th then she would be terminated and lose her job without severance or unemployment\u2026 she has been [there] for 17 years and has nothing but exemplary reviews.\u2019\n\n\u201cQuote: \u2018I will lose my job at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. I very much enjoyed my work there and had every intention of retiring from the plant. However, due to Joe Biden\u2019s forced vaccine mandate I will be terminated \u2026 Please let a man who wants to work, go to work.\u2019\n\n\u201cQuote: \u2018My firm [of] 103 employees will [either] lose about 25 to the mandate, or lay off 4 to get to 99. Which one should we do?\u2019\n\n\u201cRemember, Mr. President, personally, I\u2019d encourage each of these Kentuckians to get the vaccine. But for the purposes of this conversation that isn\u2019t the point.\n\n\u201cYou better believe I am going to stand up and fight for their freedom.\n\n\u201cI want to thank the junior Senator for Indiana for spearheading this resolution to overturn the Biden Administration\u2019s illegal mandate. I am proud to cosponsor it, I\u2019ll proudly vote for it, and I urge every Senator to do the same.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=202EF3FA-1EE2-494D-A62A-219C6465C950"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.667410135269165, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}