Ted Cruz Raps WH Chief of Staff Over ‘Foolish’ Retweet on ‘Work-Around’ to Require Biden Vax Mandate
13:07 GMT 10.09.2021 (Updated: 13:03 GMT 14.04.2023)
© REUTERS / HANNAH BEIER
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On Friday, Congressional Republicans expressed frustration over President Joe Biden's plan to require coronavirus vaccinations for all federal workers, accusing POTUS of riding roughshod over the US Constitution.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz has lashed out at White House Chief of Staff Ronald Klain after the latter retweeted a post claiming that the US president’s new vaccine mandate is the “ultimate work-around” for the federal government to require COVID vaccinations.
The former presidential candidate tweeted on Friday about a “foolish RT [retweet] from WH chief of staff” who “said the quiet part out loud”.
According to the Texas senator, the Biden administration “knows it's likely illegal (like the eviction moratorium) but they don't care”.
Important.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 10, 2021
Foolish RT from WH chief of staff. He said the quiet part out loud.
Biden admin knows it’s likely illegal (like the eviction moratorium) but they don’t care. https://t.co/AlfmYtuvhp
In late August, the US Supreme Court ruled to end the federal eviction moratorium, noting that any continuation of the programme must be specifically authorised by Congress.
The eviction moratorium was earlier imposed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent landlords from evicting those unable to pay rent as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged across the country.
Cruz’s criticism of Klain came after MSNBC’s anchor Stephanie Ruhle posted on her Twitter page a message that “OSHA [the Occupational Safety and Health Administration] doing this vaxx [sic] mandate as an emergency workplace safety rule is the ultimate work-around for the Federal govt [sic] to require vaccinations”.
OSHA is tasked with overseeing the rule that requires all companies with 100 or more workers to demand they either get vaccinated or be subjected to weekly testing, part of the Biden administration’s new plan to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the US.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) takes part in a news conference held by Republican senators about the "H.R.1 - For the People Act" bill on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 17, 2021
© REUTERS / Leah Millis
Biden’s announcement of compulsory vaccination for all federal workers was followed by most Republicans slamming what they described as an unconstitutional move by the US president.
“From ignoring property rights, to shirking his duty at the border, and now, coercing private citizens to undergo a medical procedure, Joe Biden has shown a wanton disregard for the US Constitution. As a would-be autocrat, Biden endangers the very fibers of this great nation. Freedom and agency are the hallmarks of the American experiment”, Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee tweeted on Friday.
He was echoed by Congressional Republican Lloyd Smucker, who stressed that he “strongly” opposes the US president’s “authoritarian vaccine mandate on Americans, and believe it is a massive government overreach”.
When asked at a press conference late last year whether a federal vaccine mandate should be introduced, Biden said, “I don't think it should be mandatory. I wouldn't demand it to be mandatory, but I would do everything in my power...as president of the United States to convince people to do the right thing”.
