2023: Schweikert 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, Schweikert 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: Schweikert 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, Schweikert 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: Schweikert Voted Against Requiring The Department Of Defense To Rescind Their COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate. In December 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert voted against 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: Schweikert Voted To Terminate The CDC's COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement For Foreign Travelers. In February 2023, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert 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: Schweikert Effectively Voted To Terminate The CDC's COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement For Foreign Travelers. In February 2023, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert 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: Schweikert 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, Schweikert 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: Schweikert Effectively Voted To Terminate The CDC's COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement For Foreign Travelers. In February 2023, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert 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: Schweikert Effectively Voted To Terminate The CDC's COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement For Foreign Travelers. In February 2023, according to Congressional Quarterly, Schweikert 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: Schweikert 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, Schweikert 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: Schweikert 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, Schweikert 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: Schweikert 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, Schweikert 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: Schweikert 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, Schweikert 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]