Republican lawmakers asserted their opposition against the COVID vaccination mandate, stating they will not let the system fund any forceful vaccine compulsion. Meanwhile, the government is on the brink of shutdown once again, as the deadline to fund the vaccine mandate approaches.
Eleven Republicans are trying to stop Biden’s imposed vaccine mandate
Roger Marshall, a GOP senator from Kansas, is leading 11 Republican lawmakers in posing a threat to Democrats’ imposed vaccine mandate. The group issued a warning in early November that they would use every tactic to stop this vaccine mandate.
Due to the close margin between the two parties, Democrats sought Republicans’ support once again. The only way for them to push for the mandate is to make all 100 senators agree on holding the vote before the deadline set on Friday at midnight.
The threat of a US federal government shutdown loomed larger Wednesday as lawmakers failed to reach a budget agreement with just two days to go before the funding runs out. https://t.co/GCS8B4sauy
— ꧁💖𝕸𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖊 💖꧂⚔️ 🌊😷🐺♒💃💙 (@LMarieVResists) December 2, 2021
Ted Cruz, a Republican senator from Texas, noted the GOP should use the leverage it has to stop the unconstitutional, illegal acts of the president who is intentionally following an unlawful path.
While Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed optimism about the ongoing talks between the two parties, he also noted some Republicans are halting the government purposefully.
Both parties will come face to face early next year too
The partisan tussle is all about approving a Continuing Resolution (CR), a short-term spending bill that will help Congress in setting a new January deadline to pass full-year funding bills.
Apart from the vaccine mandate issue, another conflict between the two sides is they do not agree on how long the CR should be applicable. Even if Congress manages to pass the CR for now, the issue will be in the limelight once again in January.
Congress will convene to discuss the government funding for the rest of the year. While Democrats want to vote for the CR until late January, Republican lawmakers want it to fund the government until at least February.
6. Risk of a US government shutdown looms (again) over this weekend with Republicans & Democrats split over a short-term spending bill needed to keep agencies running. Several GOP lawmakers are threatening a hold up to protest vaccine mandates imposed by Biden administration.
— Kelvin Wong, CFTe (@KelvinSCWong) December 2, 2021
In order to pass 12 appropriations bills, Republicans asked Democrats that the funding for the green energy projects be reduced and the Mexico wall funding is reinstated; however, Democrats are unmoved by these demands.
When Republicans helped Democrats in evading the debt limit in September to avert the shutdown, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer heavily criticized Republican lawmakers, despite getting their votes, which invoked bipartisan criticism against the senator.
Back then, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel wrote a letter to President Biden and asked that his party not vote to extend the debt limit in December. However, McConnell is still working with Schumer and expressed his optimism the government would not be shut down.
Earlier this week, the road seemed clear, as both parties would agree to fund the government.
Mitch McConnell even proclaimed to the media that Republicans wouldn’t shut down the government; however, the emergence of a whole Republican faction has made things messy for Democrats.
