Cawthorn introduces bill banning enforcement of federal vaccine mandate for businesses

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) introduced a bill on Wednesday prohibiting the enforcement of federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates for businesses.

The “Justice for All Businesses Act” (JAB Act) aims to prevent the Labor secretary from enforcing government-issued mandates requiring the vaccination of a business’ employees. It would also protect businesses from facing fees if they violate vaccine or testing mandates.

The bill is unlikely to pass in a chamber controlled by Democrats. If Republicans take control in 15 months, the bill, already supported by several GOP reps including Scott Perry (R-Pa.), would stand a chance of passing at least in the House.

“Forced injections mandated by the federal government are nothing short of subsidized medical apartheid,” Cawthorn said in a statement. “There is nothing American about ripping financial stability away from the American people simply because they choose to make medical decisions for themselves.”

He added, “There are patriots across the nation who would rather see their jobs ripped away from them then lose their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I stand with them to defend freedom at all costs.”

Cawthorn’s bill proposal follows calls from GOP lawmakers for Biden to scrape any potential plans of a federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate. A group of Republican senators, led by Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), on Thursday sent a letter to the White House stating that federal vaccine mandates for businesses are unconstitutional.

“While the Supreme Court has upheld the ability of states to mandate vaccines during a pandemic, there is no precedent for the federal government to mandate vaccines for contractors, private employers, or individual Americans,” the letter read.

President Biden earlier this year required businesses that employ more than 100 people to be vaccinated.