This week, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), Representatives Chip Roy (TX-21), and Representative Mike Johnson (LA-4) led a cohort of 42 other Republican Members of Congress in submitting an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Feds for Medical Freedom v. Biden. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and John Thune (R-S.D.) joined the amicus brief, along with 34 members of the House of Representatives.
In the brief, the members assert: “In this case, the President of the United States claims the awesome—and heretofore unasserted—power to unilaterally compel a broad swath of American workers to undergo a medical procedure. No federal statute confers this claimed authority on the President. To the contrary, Congress has denied it.”
After filing, Senator Cruz added:
“The American people have had enough of Biden’s unconstitutional mandates that trample on our rights. That’s why we’re sending a clear message to everyone suffering under Biden – from our military service members, to federal employees, to nurses and hospital staff: the days of these tyrannical mandates are numbered.”
Representative Chip Roy stated:
“Biden’s federal COVID vaccine mandates are tyrannical, unconstitutional and have no place in America. They are nothing but a failing political push from a failed President in brazen defiance of science, fact, and our natural rights. Therefore, I am honored to join my friends, Senator Ted Cruz, Congressman Mike Johnson, and the patriots at the First Liberty Institute in filing this amicus curiae brief in the Fifth Circuit to support the legal fight to Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates for federal workers and contractors. Meanwhile, the American people are rightfully fed up with this; while the courts continue to work through this legal challenge, Congress should vote against any funding for these mandates.”
Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana stated:
“The Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors is unconstitutional and risks discouraging qualified persons from partnering with our federal government. Every time President Biden’s unconstitutional mandates are scrutinized by the courts, they fail. We urge the Court to defend the First Amendment rights of federal government contractors in this case as well. To the health care workers, first responders, service members, contractors and every hardworking American affected by President Biden’s unconstitutional policies: We won’t stop fighting for you.”
A full copy of the Amicus Brief can be found HERE.