Washington, DC – Congressman Greg Pence, a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and over 60 of his colleagues are challenging the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate on federal healthcare workers in H.R. 497, the Freedom for Health Care Workers Act.

“Our health care workers are American Heroes — they work around the clock to provide crucial services to Hoosiers and all Americans,” said Congressman Greg Pence. “Subjecting health care workers to burdensome federal regulations is wrong, and only hurts the American public. I’m proud the Energy and Commerce Committee is standing with these essential workers, and working to revoke onerous mandates that get in the way of providing quality care to patients across the nation.”

“No American should ever be forced to choose between the COVID shot or losing their livelihood. I led the fight against Joe Biden’s authoritarian COVID shot mandate on our healthcare workers in the last Congress and will continue leading the charge until this requirement is lifted,” said Congressman Jeff Duncan. “Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate is unscientific, un-American, and deeply damaging to healthcare workers as we already face a nationwide staff shortage.”

“Vaccine mandates did not build trust in the vaccine. These types of actions only created a dangerous level of resentment and increased public distrust toward a government acting like an authoritarian regime seizing more command and control in our lives and health care decisions. Worse, it’s exacerbated the workforce shortages threatening Americans access to quality, timely care. If the Biden administration refuses to end its unscientific and harmful mandate, Congress must Act,” said House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)

"As our country is facing health care workforce shortages, President Biden should be more focused on recruiting and retaining health care talent than on forcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on our health care heroes. President Biden’s vaccine mandate makes health care workers choose between their job and a COVID-19 vaccine without considering the availability of other proven therapeutics and other variables, such as natural immunity. I’m continuing to push back against this mandate by renewing my support in this  Congress for the Freedom for Health Care Workers Act,” said Congressman Brett Guthrie.

The legislation passed the House.