Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kansas) joined Republican House colleagues in sending a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) urging her to reconsider the Biden administration and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) final rule mandating COVID-19 vaccines for health care providers and to consider legislation that would invoke the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

"Individuals should not be forced to choose between a health care decision or losing their livelihood," said Rep. Estes. "We are already experiencing a labor shortage in the health care industry, and President Biden's vaccine mandate will only exacerbate the problem." 

"I am in the health care field, and we are already struggling so much to maintain adequate staffing," wrote one health care worker on Rep. Estes' Share Your Story webpage at estes.house.gov/stories. "A vaccine mandate would make the staffing crisis we are faced with now so much worse. Even though I am vaccinated, if I lose all employees who, by their personal choice and right to their own bodies, I am not sure I will be able to remain in the field myself."

A CRA resolution allows an expedited process for the House and Senate to review federal regulations and, upon passage, revoke the regulation. In order to overturn a federal regulation, the resolution must pass both chambers of Congress and be signed by the president, or receive a two-thirds majority vote in each chamber to override a president's veto.

Rep. Estes has also introduced legislation to protect religious liberty exemptions and cosponsored legislation to stop vaccine mandates, as well as signing a letter seeking answers from President Biden.

Read the full letter here.