US: Republicans try to overturn Biden mandate for compulsory vaccination
All Republican senators opposed the mandatory vaccination, saying it was an abuse of power.
The US Senate on Wednesday opposed the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination imposed by Joe Biden , an initiative of the Republican camp that is not expected to have a practical response, given the president's ability to veto.
All Republican senators, as well as two Democrats who traditionally represent conservative states, voted in favor of the text, which specifically targets the Presidential executive order signed by the US Secretary of State in September and obliges 100 employees to to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The measure - its implementation is temporarily blocked by American justice - caused outrage among part of the population and the GOP as a whole. In the land of individual liberties, conservatives often defy central authority.
"President Biden's unreasonable (mandatory) vaccination is an abuse of power," said Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell.
Like him, many Republicans are in favor of vaccines, but against compulsory vaccination.
"What is clear is that I oppose any mandatory vaccination imposed by the state and private companies," said Joe Manchin, a West Virginia senator and one of the two Democrats who supported the initiative after the vote.
The text, however, has zero chance of going any further: it must be approved by the House of Representatives, where Democrats retain a majority of seats, before it can be passed to Joe Biden's office, which can veto it.
In the midst of the ongoing brawl between government, justice and elected officials, cities decide to impose their own vaccination. The mayor of New York announced on Monday that all private sector workers will soon be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
With more than 790,000 deaths from COVID-19, the United States is by far the hardest hit by the new coronavirus pandemic worldwide.
