A federal mandate for COVID-19 vaccinations will create an "exacerbated, huge unemployment nationwide" which will lead to more inflation, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, warned on Newsmax.
"I'm against any type of the federal mandate on vaccination issues," Marshall told "National Report." "Absolutely I'm against any type of federal mandate on vaccination. I think that's going to backfire and it's going to create a separation of jobs."
Marshall added that 20% to 50% of blue-collar workers have made a "conscious, educated decision" against getting the vaccine, and he does encourage them to speak with their doctors, as he supports vaccination even if he doesn't back mandates.
"Just a year ago people that ran to the sound of the battle, but now President [Joe] Biden has decided they're not essential," Marshall said. "He's making them choose between the jab or the job."
Republican lawmakers are trying to stop the mandates by adding an amendment to funding legislation that will say the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will have no money to implement Biden's "unconstitutional" order.
In addition, "we're fighting to protect our service members who are being separated from the military because of this vaccine mandate," Marshall said. "We want to make sure that they are not given a dishonorable discharge, and we want to make sure that those soldiers are protected as well."
Marshall stressed, though, he supports people getting the vaccine.
"I've had the vaccine myself," he said. "My parents have had the vaccine. My parents finally got their booster shot and would encourage all your senior citizen listeners to go get their booster shot, or at least talk to their doctor about it.
"I encourage people to get their vaccinations, but I respect their God-given freedoms as well, their individual liberties. This is not a black-or-white situation."
But the idea of mandates has become a partisan issue, Marshall said.
"We offered an amendment on previous legislation regarding this issue about stopping funding for the federal government to enforce any type of the federal mandate," Marshall said. "All 50 Republicans voted in favor of not any funding for the federal mandate, versus every Democrat voting the opposite. So this has become a partisan issue. I don't understand why."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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