Democrat blocks Rand Paul measure to drop COVID vaccine mandate for Senate pages
A push by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to repeal the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for Senate pagesfailed on Thursday in the face of Democratic opposition.
Paul, a leading GOP critic of pandemic-era safety precautions, attempted to pass a resolution barring the mandate, required for all high schoolers participating in the prestigious program, by unanimous consent but was blocked by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD).
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Paul framed the resolution, which prevents not only vaccination but also masking and most testing requirements for the pages, as a matter of individual liberty. He argued that while the COVID-19 vaccine protects at-risk populations, the requirement puts young, healthy adults at risk of heart inflammationand other rare complications for what he described as negligible benefits.
"This is obscene, and the Democrat majority should be embarrassed that they are here today telling us that American parents and American families are not smart enough to make their own decisions," he said in a speech from the Senate floor.
Cardin objected to the resolution on the grounds that it injects politics into a decision that should be left to medical professionals and noted that Paul's ban on masking could hamstring the Senate's ability to keep pages safe should another public health threat emerge.
"The Senate has a duty of care with respect to the pages. Their well-being is our responsibility," he said.
Yet Paul argued the topic is intrinsically political and reflects a gulf over the role of government on matters of public health.
"It certainly is partisan. Do you see any Republicans over here objecting? The Republicans unanimously support getting rid of this mandate," he said.
Democrats have softened their stance on mandates as pandemic fatigue and declining case counts led to a return to normalcy in the United States. Yet a resurgence in the coronavirus this summer has brought the matter back to the fore, with some localities reimposing masking requirements.
Paul's Republican colleague J.D. Vance (R-OH) announced he would attempt his own unanimous consent request to ban mask mandates nationally on Thursday afternoon.
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This is the second time Paul, who dismisses the utility of masks and is known for his feud with Trump COVID czar Anthony Fauci, has attempted to pass the resolution on Senate pages.
He gave a similar floor speech last year before the measure was blocked in a bipartisan fashion by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), the leaders of the Rules Committee at the time.
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