My congressman replied to my email about vaccine mandates.

 

My Congressman Mike Gallagher (R).

As you may be aware I occasionally contact my elected officials about various issues, usually, but not always, related to gun rights. This time I have contacted them over something else. When Joe Biden announced his vaccine mandate plan I contacted both my senators and my congressman to voice my displeasure. So far only Congressman Mike Gallagher has responded. 

I will post the response in full below. First though I have to say that I am glad that Gallagher has responded. I don't always get a response when I email my elected officials. Senator Ron Johnson has been especially bad at this and Tammy Baldwin, for all her faults, has been pretty good. But Gallagher has been better than both of them and I am going to post his response below. 

Please note that this response was too big to be easily read as an image so I will be copy pasting. 

Dear Mr. [Redacted]

Thank you for contacting me about President Biden's recent vaccine mandate. I greatly appreciate hearing from you on this important issue. 

On September 9, 2021, President Biden announced a six-part plan to combat the coronavirus pandemic. One of these parts is a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on virtually all health care workers and tens of millions of workers at private companies. The Supreme Court recognized that the President did not have the authority to unilaterally extend the eviction moratorium in July. Now, the President is once again testing the limits of his authority by taking the unprecedented action of imposing sweeping health mandates on private employers. This decision is a gross abuse of federal power that will crush the small businesses already struggling from the labor shortage this administration has helped sustain. Presidential authorities are not limitless, and I believe it’s well past time for Congress to act and reclaim its Article I authorities to ensure no president even flirts with this kind of idea again.

President Biden has also asked large entertainment venues to require attendees to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. I do not believe any person should be vaccinated against their will nor should a vaccine be required to participate in the activities of normal society. You may be interested to know that I introduced H.R. 3672, the No Vax Pass Act on June 14, 2021. The No Vax Pass Act would ensure taxpayer dollars do not contribute to state and local governments developing systems that would allow businesses or governments to verify proof of vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of receiving goods and services. Should legislation regarding the COVID-19 vaccine come to the House floor for a vote, I will be sure to keep your thoughts closely in mind. 

Once again, thank you for contacting me on this important issue. Please don't hesitate to contact me on this or any other topic in the weeks ahead. I value your thoughts and believe the respectful exchange of ideas is important in representative government.

Sincerely,

Mike Gallagher

8th District, Wisconsin

What are my thoughts on his response? I think it's just want I wanted to hear. I am pretty upset about the vaccine mandate and terrified that we could lose more than 20% of our workforce if Biden gets his way. I don't think his No Vax Pass Act will pass of course but it is good to know that my congressman is at least trying to work for me. 

The problem though is that we are essentially helpless against the Presidency right now. Democrats hold both congress and the Presidency and unless the Supreme Court decides to do anything, which they have not so far, we are screwed. 

As for Mike Gallagher, I think he as earned my vote in 2022, regardless of what office he runs for. There is some speculation that he could be the one that could run for Senate of Ron Johnson decides to not run. Either way I will be voting for him regardless.