Time to End Military COVID Vaccine Mandate
Insane COVID-19 Military Vaccine Mandate
I joined 12 of my Republican colleagues in a letter to Senate Republican leadership opposing moving forward with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023, unless the Senate votes on an amendment to prohibit discharges from the Armed Forces solely because of COVID-19 vaccination status. The amendment will also reinstate service members already discharged, with back pay.
Bottom line: the COVID-19 vaccine does not prevent infection or transmission. So why does the Biden administration force our men and women in uniform to take it?
The United States simply cannot afford to discharge our brave men and women in uniform and lose the investments we have made into each and every one of them due to an inept bureaucratic policy. We respectfully request that the Senate vote to remedy a policy that adversely affects our service members and our national security.
Listen to my comments here.
Freedom Protests in China
This week, I joined my colleagues in a bipartisan letter to the Chinese ambassador to the United States warning the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime of the consequences of a violent crackdown on peaceful protesters. Demonstrations have erupted across China in response to the CCP's severe measures restricting freedoms to contain rising COVID-19 infections.
We caution the CCP in the strongest possible terms not to once again undertake a violent crackdown on peaceful Chinese protesters who simply want more freedom.
Read more here.
Railway Strike Negotiations
It's unfortunate that President Biden failed to get railroad management and unions to agree, and that Democrats played politics with a possible railway strike in Congress.
I do not believe that Congress should be inserting itself in imposing agreements between private companies and their workforce. The proper course of action should have been to extend the "cooling off" period and force both sides back to the negotiating tables while maintaining rail operations. That amendment failed, but we could not let our rail system shut down and cause incalculable harm to the American people and our economy. Ultimately, that is why I voted to keep the trains running and accept the agreement negotiated by the railroads and union leaders.
Resepct for Marriage Act Vote
The Respect for Marriage Act is unnecessary as the Obergefell decision is settled law and has no chance of being overturned. The Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization made clear no other right would be affected by its ruling. The Democrats continue to use this to create a state of fear over a settled issue in order to further divide Americans for their political benefit. The substitute amendment did not provide sufficient protection for those with strongly held religious beliefs and leaves a lane open for discrimination by activist groups, state governments and the IRS.
I supported my GOP colleagues amendments that would have added religious liberty protections to the bill, including Senator Lee's amendment that would have prohibited the federal government from taking discriminatory action against individuals and institutions for their sincerely held religious beliefs on marriage. I would have supported the bill with my colleagues language added. However, they were not adopted. Religious liberty should be upheld for all and those with sincerely held religious beliefs should not be discriminated against for their views on marriage.
Waukesha Christmas Parade Returns
My heart is with Waukesha this weekend as the community comes together Sunday for its annual Christmas Parade after such a traumatic year. The parade will be bigger than ever with high school bands, the Dancing Grannies, Santa Claus and a memorial float dedicated to the six lives taken last year. Stay strong, Waukesha. Your resilience is an inspiration.
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