Sen. Blackburn: Essential Workers Did Their Job, Don't Force Them to Vaccinate

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., says essential workers shouldn't be forced to be vaccinated to keep their jobs.

''Our essential workers figured out how to handle COVID and they showed up,'' Blackburn, who has introduced legislation that would exempt essential workers from President Joe Biden's vaccine mandates, told The Daily Signal during a phone interview Thursday. ''They did their job. And many of them got COVID [and] recovered; they have antibodies. They do not want to be forced to take a vaccination in order to keep their jobs.''

Biden in September announced sweeping COVID-19 vaccine mandates for all federal workers and contractors as well as companies with 100 or more employees.

Blackburn was joined by Sens. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla.; Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn.; Mike Braun, R-Ind.; Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.; and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., in introducing the bill, Keeping Our COVID-19 Heroes Employed Act.

''They were the heroes last year,'' Blackburn told The Daily Signal. ''Now this year you've got the Biden administration and Joe Biden saying, 'If you don't get the jab, I'm going to get you fired from your job.'''

Blackburn also slammed the Biden administration for pushing back ''on religious freedom and religious liberty'' in reference to vaccine exemptions.

''We see this in judicial appointments,'' she said. ''We see this in positions that they are choosing to take.

''And of course, we know that they want government control of your children, of your health care, of your checking account,'' Blackburn said. ''They want a cradle-to-grave, daylight-to-dark, 24/7 [system of control]. They are intent on radically transforming this nation into a socialist government.''

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