Republicans blasted President Joe Biden for “authoritarian” and “unconstitutional” practices after he announced sweeping new federal vaccine requirements on Thursday. The requirements affect as many as 100 million Americans, and include mandating all employers with more than 100 workers to vaccinate their employees, or require weekly testing, in an all-out effort to increase vaccination.
After the president took aim at nationwide vaccine resistance in remarks from the White House, Republicans voiced their opposition to what they deemed a “dictatorship” seeking to control citizens and rob them of their individual freedoms.
“President Biden has made small business an enemy of his administration,” wrote House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy. “Forcing main street to vax or pay a fine will not only crush an economy he’s put on life support—it’s flat-out un-American.”
“To Joe Biden, force is more important than freedom,” he added. “Americans won’t stand for it.”
“Joe Biden has done absolutely nothing to fix his own southern border crisis with thousands of COVID untested migrants coming here every week, and yet he wants to talk about more restrictions on your business, your church, and your school to ‘slow the spread,’” former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows wrote.
“Totally unserious,” he added.
“Once again, Joe Biden shows himself to be everything the left falsely accused Donald Trump of being,” Meadows wrote in another tweet.
“They called Trump a dictator,” he added. “But it’s Joe Biden who over and over makes it clear: he’s a lawless President who will trample over the constitution to achieve his partisan goals.”
“My legal team is standing by ready to file our lawsuit the minute @joebiden files his unconstitutional rule,” Gov. Kristi Noem wrote.
“This gross example of federal intrusion will not stand,” she added.
“South Dakota will stand up to defend freedom,” she wrote in another tweet. “@JoeBiden see you in court.”
“He doesn’t have the power to mandate this,” wrote Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie as he warned that “our patience is gone.”
“If government could mandate the vaccine for federal employees & contractors, it would require a vote of Congress,” he added. “It’s medical tyranny.”
“Joe Biden is sounding more like a dictator every day,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) wrote.
Calling on Republican governors, legislators, mayors, and AGs to “resist,” congressional candidate Robby Starbuck declared that “Biden’s overreach cannot go unchecked.”
“Now is the time to fight for our voters, freedoms and America,” he added. “Do it.”
“I have a reminder for Americans in light of Joe Biden’s authoritarian rules that violate our rights: There are more of us than them,” he wrote in another tweet. “If we stand united and refuse to have our rights stripped from us, they can’t get away with it.”
“They only get away with it if we let them do it,” he added.
“Not only is Biden going to force all federal workers to be vaccinated, but he’s demanding employees who do business with the federal government to be vaccinated,” wrote Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ).
“This is an ASSAULT on individuals’ freedoms and livelihoods,” he added. “We must fight this.”
In another tweet, Rep. Biggs sought to remind the president of his role.
“Biden, in case you forgot, you are President of the United States, not dictator for life,” he wrote.
“Biden declares war on freedom,” warned Arizona GOP chairwoman Dr. Kelli Ward.
“Does Biden understand that when he ‘declares war’ on 80 million Americans (as the Daily Mail headlined it) he is declaring war largely on minorities and on union members?” asked former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
“Has he lost his mind,” he added. “No war on the Taliban but war on Americans???”
“Joe Biden’s forced vaccine mandate impacting over 100 million Americans is unconstitutional, unlawful, and an authoritarian power grab that has become a hallmark of his failed Presidency,” wrote Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY).
“Under Joe Biden, COVID rates are higher than just one year ago under President Trump. From the mixed public health messaging, to the failure to nominate an FDA Commissioner, to the botched booster announcement, Joe Biden earns an F for managing COVID,” she continued.
“The American people should have the freedom to make the best decisions for their families rather than accepting forced illegal mandates from a power hungry government,” she added.
“This is insane & unconstitutional,” wrote Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Sean Parnell. “@JoeBiden has no authority to do this. It won’t hold up in court, but that doesn’t matter to him.”
“Just an unbelievable trampling of civil liberties,” he added.
“BREAKING: @JoeBiden passes vax/testing mandate on workers; declines similar mandate on welfare recipients,” wrote Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).
“NO TO VACCINE MANDATES! This is a MASSIVE violation of our RIGHTS! This isn’t about science, this is about CONTROL!” wrote Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX).
“Biden & Fauci have to go!!” he added.
“Joe Biden’s absurd mandates are not more powerful than the Constitution,” wrote Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert.
“Are you people trying to start a full on revolt? Honestly what the hell is wrong with Democrats?” asked Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX).
“Leave people the hell alone,” he added. “This is insanity.”
In another tweet, Rep. Crenshaw referred to mandates as “cheap governance.”
“The right path is built upon explaining, educating, and *building* trust, including explaining the risks/benefits/pros/cons in an honest way so a person can make their own decision,” he wrote.
“The Biden Administration has completely failed in that regard,” he added.
“Biden is talking about tens of millions of American citizens like they’re vermin,” wrote Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance.
“What a disgusting, vile man,” he added.
Quoting Biden as saying, “This is not about freedom,” the House Republicans tweeted: “Sounds a lot like a dictatorship.”
“This is an attack on the civil liberties of every American,” wrote Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-MN). “The federal government has no authority to force companies and their employees to be vaccinated.”
“Is this the ‘unity’ President Biden promised?” she added. “We’re still waiting.”
“Biden is forcing an unconstitutional, un-American federal decree on businesses and families,” wrote GOP Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.
“His agenda is all about power, all about control, and meant to divide us,” she added.
“Freedom IS the American way,” wrote Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA).
“The authoritarian Biden-Harris administration is undermining vaccine confidence,” she added.
“I will pursue every legal option available to the state of Georgia to stop this blatantly unlawful overreach by the Biden administration,” wrote Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
“Biden’s mandate underscores how important it is for Americans to know & weigh candidates’ policies when voting,” wrote Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.).
“Liberty & freedom are at stake,” he added.
Calling Medical decisions “personal,” Rep. Peter Stauber expressed his strong opposition to “Biden’s tyrannical vaccine mandate on the American people,” adding that he believes it is “a complete abuse of power, and potentially unconstitutional.”
“I strongly oppose President Biden’s vaccine mandate for private businesses and their employees,” wrote Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO). “This is just the latest example of the extreme executive overreach by this Administration.”
“Quite frankly, it seems like a desperate attempt to distract from his disgraceful bungling of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan,” he added in another tweet.
“Every single American should wake up and see the true nature of Democrats,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) wrote. “They are Communists.
“If we don’t end this dangerous precedent NOW it will be with us far longer than COVID-19,” Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) wrote.
“Joe Biden: you are NOT our dictator,” wrote Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC). “Stop acting like one.”
“There’s no authority for this. This is legislative action that bypasses the legislative branch,” Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) wrote.
“If you care about representative government—if you’re consistent regardless of who’s president—then it doesn’t matter that you like the policy,” he added. “This mandate is an abuse of power.”
“On most topics he’s a bumbling old man,” Washington Congressional candidate and retired Army Special Forces chief warrant officer Joe Kent wrote. “[yet] when it’s time to go full authoritarian he doesn’t miss a beat.”
“This un-American & tyrannical decision isn’t about science; it’s about political science in the form of tanking poll numbers,” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) wrote.
“Biden went from saying no mandates by the federal government to this unconstitutional order that would coerce inoculation,” he added.
“This is dangerous,” Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley warned.
“A president who abandoned hundreds of American civilians to the enemy and has lost the confidence of the public starts threatening executive power grabs,” he added.
“Ignore Biden’s illegal mandates like he ignores our immigration laws,” Republican Congressman Brian Mast of Florida wrote.
“Keep your money and exercise your freedom,” he added. “Do not pay fines, do not pay for tyranny!”
“Free people should never be comfortable with the term ‘I’ll use my power as President to get them out of the way,’” Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) wrote.
“The COVID-19 vaccine mandates announced today are unconstitutional overreach by the President of the United States, pure and simple,” Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) wrote.
“Individual freedoms & the rule of law are too often an afterthought with this administration, while broken promises are piling up,” he added.
Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.