2023: Fitzpatrick Voted For An Amendment That Would Require The CDC To
Report On How Many People Who Were Denied U.S. Entry Under The COVID-19
Vaccine Mandate Rule For Foreign Travelers. In February 2023,
according to Congressional Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted for an amendment
to a bill that would "require the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, within 90 days of enactment, to submit a report to Congress
on the number of individuals denied entry to the U.S. under the vaccine
mandate terminated by the bill." The vote was on the adoption the
amendment. The House adopted the amendment by a vote of 253 to 168.
[House Vote 111, 2/8/23;
Congressional Quarterly,
2/8/23; Congressional Actions,
H.Amdt.
81;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
185]
2021: Fitzpatrick Voted Against The American Rescue Plan Act Of 2021,
Which Directed Medicaid And Children's Health Insurance Program To Cover
All The Costs Of COVID Vaccines. In March 2021, Fitzpatrick voted
against concurring in the Senate amendment to the American Rescue Plan
Act of 2021 which would, according to Congressional Quarterly, "require
Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program to fully cover the
cost of COVID-19 vaccines." The vote was on concurring in the Senate
amendment to the bill. The House concurred with the Senate by a vote of
220-211 and sent to the President and ultimately the bill became law.
[House Vote 72, 3/10/21;
Congressional Quarterly,
3/10/21; Congressional Actions,
H.R.
1319]
2022: Fitzpatrick Voted To Require The Department Of Defense To
Rescind Their COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate. In December 2022, according to
Congressional Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted for the James M. Inhofe
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, which would, in
part, "require the DOD, within 30 days of enactment, to rescind the
mandate that servicemembers be vaccinated against COVID-19." The vote
was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 350-80, thus the
bill was sent to the Senate for final concurrence. The Senate concurred
with the House, sent the final bill to President Biden, and it
ultimately became law. [House Vote 516,
12/8/22; Congressional
Quarterly, 12/8/22;
Congressional Actions, H.Res.
1512;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
7776]
2023: Fitzpatrick Voted To Terminate The CDC's COVID-19 Vaccination
Requirement For Foreign Travelers. In February 2023, according to
Congressional Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted for a bill that would
"terminate the April 2022 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
rule requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for noncitizen, nonimmigrant
travelers entering the United States by air travel. It would also deem
any subsequent similar CDC vaccine requirements as having no force or
effect." The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of
227 to 201, thus the bill was sent to the Senate. [House Vote 116,
2/8/23; Congressional
Quarterly, 2/8/23;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
185]
The Bill Would End A Requirement For Most Foreign Air Travelers To
Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19. According to Reuters, "The U.S.
House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to end a requirement
that most foreign air travelers be vaccinated against COVID-19, one
of the few remaining pandemic travel restrictions still in place.
The vote was 227 to 201 with seven Democrats joining Republicans. No
Republicans voted against the bill." [Reuters,
[2/8/23](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-house-votes-end-foreign-air-traveler-covid-vaccine-requirement-2023-02-08/#:~:text=WASHINGTON%2C Feb 8 (Reuters),with seven Democrats joining Republicans.)]
The Biden Administration Had Already Rescinded A Requirement For
Negative COVID-19 Tests For Foreign Travelers But Did Not Lift
Vaccine Requirements. According to Reuters, "The Biden
administration in June dropped its requirement that people arriving
in the United States by air must test negative for COVID but has not
lifted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccination
requirements for most foreign travelers." [Reuters,
[2/8/23](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-house-votes-end-foreign-air-traveler-covid-vaccine-requirement-2023-02-08/#:~:text=WASHINGTON%2C Feb 8 (Reuters),with seven Democrats joining Republicans.)]
Democrats Warned That The Bill Did Not Allow For Future Mandates
In The Event That COVID-19 Cases Rise Or If The Virus Mutates.
According to The Hill, "Democrats argued the legislation doesn't
allow for any future mandates if cases rise or the virus mutates,
putting more people at risk." [The Hill,
2/8/23]
2023: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted To Terminate The CDC's COVID-19
Vaccination Requirement For Foreign Travelers. In February 2023,
according to Congressional Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted against the
"motion to recommit the bill to the House Energy and Commerce
Committee." The vote was on a motion to recommit. The House rejected the
motion by a vote of 220 to 208. [House Vote 115,
2/8/23; Congressional
Quarterly, 2/8/23;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
185]
2023: Fitzpatrick Voted Against An Amendment That Would Have Delayed
Ending The COVID-19 Foreign Traveler Vaccine Rule Until HHS Were To
Certify That Ending The Rule Would Not Increase COVID-19
Hospitalizations. In February 2023, according to Congressional
Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted against an amendment to a bill that would
"delay the bill's effective date until the Health and Human Services
Department certifies to Congress that its requirements would not result
in an increase in hospitalizations due to the COVID-19 pandemic." The
vote was on the adoption the amendment. The House rejected the amendment
by a vote of 209 to 224. [House Vote 114,
2/8/23; Congressional
Quarterly, 2/8/23;
Congressional Actions, H.Amdt.
84;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
185]
2023: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted To Terminate The CDC's COVID-19
Vaccination Requirement For Foreign Travelers. In February 2023,
according to Congressional Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted for the
"adoption of the rule (H Res 97) that would provide for consideration of
a bill (HR 185) to terminate the CDC's vaccination requirement for
foreign travelers. [...] The rule would provide up to one hour of
general debate on each measure and floor consideration of five
amendments to HR 185." The vote was on the adoption of the rule. The
House adopted the rule by a vote of 217 to 208. [House Vote 109,
2/7/23; Congressional
Quarterly, 2/7/23;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
185;
Congressional Actions, H.Res.
97]
2023: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted To Terminate The CDC's COVID-19
Vaccination Requirement For Foreign Travelers. In February 2023,
according to Congressional Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted for the "motion
to order the previous question (thus ending debate and possibility of
amendment) on the rule (H Res 97) that would provide for consideration
of a bill (HR 185) to terminate the CDC's vaccination requirement for
foreign travelers. [...] The rule would provide up to one hour of
general debate on each measure and floor consideration of five
amendments to HR 185." The vote was on a motion to order the previous
question. The House agreed to the motion by a vote of 217 to 208.
[House Vote 108, 2/7/23;
Congressional Quarterly,
2/7/23; Congressional Actions,
H.R.
185;
Congressional Actions, H.Res.
97]
2023: Fitzpatrick To Prohibit The Department Of Health And Human
Services From Implementing And Enforcing A Rule Requiring Health Care
Providers In Medicare And Medicaid To Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19.
In January 2023, according to Congressional Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted
for the Freedom for Health Care Workers Act, which would "prohibit the
Health and Human Services Department from implementing or enforcing the
November 2021 rule requiring vaccinations for health care providers in
Medicare- and Medicaid-certified facilities. It would also prohibit the
department from promulgating any 'substantially similar' rule." The vote
was on a motion to recommit. The House rejected the motion by a vote of
227 to 203, thus the bill was sent to the Senate. [House Vote 98,
1/31/23; Congressional
Quarterly, 1/31/23;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
497]
The Bill Would Reverse COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements For Health
Care Providers In Medicare And Medicaid Facilities And President
Biden Pledged To Veto The Bill. According to Congressional
Quarterly, "The third bill (HR 497) is from Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C.
It would reverse COVID-19 vaccine mandates for health care workers
in facilities that participate in Medicare and Medicaid. The
president has pledged to veto the measure, per a statement of
administration policy. That bill is on today's schedule."
[Congressional Quarterly,
1/31/23]
The HHS Rule, Over 10 Million Health Workers At Medicare And
Medicaid Facilities Are Required To Have At Least The First Dose Of
The COVID-19 Vaccine. According to The Hill, "The measure,
introduced by Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), calls for stopping the
Health and Human Services secretary from enforcing workplace
regulations and standards enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic ---
including the vaccine mandate --- at Medicare and Medicaid-certified
facilities. Under the rules, health workers at Medicare and
Medicaid-certified facilities are required to have at least their
first dose in a primary series of coronavirus vaccinations in order
to provide care, treatment or services. More than 10 million health
industry workers across roughly 76,000 facilities are subject to the
vaccine requirements." [The Hill,
1/31/23]
The Rule Was Contested In Court, But The U.S. Supreme Court Upheld
The Vaccine Mandate For Health Workers And Overturned Vaccine
Mandates For Large Employers. According to The Hill, "The
emergency standards were first issued by the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) in 2021 to minimize the risk of
spreading the coronavirus among health care workers and patients and
went into effect at the start of last year. The regulations were
hotly contested in courts, with the Supreme Court ultimately ruling
last year to uphold the requirements set for health workers while
also overturning a similar requirement that was proposed for large
employers." [The Hill,
1/31/23]
Under The Rule, Health Workers Who Refuse To Comply With The
Vaccine Mandate Could Face Personal Termination Or Termination From
Medicare Or Medicaid Programs If The Entire Facility Does Not
Comply, But The Rule Provides Religious And Medical Exemptions.
According to The Hill, "Employees including doctors, technicians and
nurses potentially face termination if they do not comply with the
mandate, though some exceptions for religious and medical reasons
are included in the requirements. If noncompliance occurs across an
entire facility, then termination from Medicare and Medicaid
programs could occur." [The Hill,
1/31/23]
2023: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted For The Freedom For Health Care
Workers Act, Which Would Nullify A Requirement For Health Care Providers
To Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19. In January 2023, according to
Congressional Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted against the "motion to
recommit the bill to the House Energy and Commerce Committee." The vote
was on a motion to recommit. The House rejected the motion by a vote of
210 to 219, thus the House subsequently voted on passage. [House Vote
97, 1/31/23;
Congressional Quarterly,
1/31/23; Congressional Actions,
H.R.
497]
2023: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted For The Freedom For Health Care
Workers Act, Which Would Nullify A Requirement For Health Care Providers
To Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19. In January 2023, according to
Congressional Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted for the "adoption of the rule
(H Res 75) that would provide for floor consideration of [...] the
Freedom for Health Care Workers Act (HR 497). The rule would provide for
one hour of general debate on each bill." The vote was on the adoption
of the rule. The House adopted the rule by a vote of 216 to 208. [House
Vote 96, 1/31/23;
Congressional Quarterly,
1/31/23; Congressional Actions,
H.R.
497;
Congressional Actions, H.Res.
75]
2023: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted For The Freedom For Health Care
Workers Act, Which Would Nullify A Requirement For Health Care Providers
To Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19. In January 2023, according to
Congressional Quarterly, Fitzpatrick voted for the "motion to order the
previous question (thus ending debate and possibility of amendment) on
the rule (H Res 75) that would provide for floor consideration of
[...] the Freedom for Health Care Workers Act (HR 497). The rule would
provide for one hour of general debate on each bill." The vote was on a
motion to order the previous question. The House agreed to the motion by
a vote of 218 to 209. [House Vote 95,
1/31/23; Congressional
Quarterly, 1/31/23;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
497;
Congressional Actions, H.Res.
75]