49 Republicans pledge to shut down government over federal vaccine mandates

The current funding for the federal government will expire Feb. 18

Forty-nine Republicans signed a letter pledging to shut down the government over federal vaccine mandates.

Fox News Digital first broke the news of the letter floating around Republican Hill offices last month. It was formally sent to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Wednesday.

The letter tells the leaders that their party is reaching another crossroads where they “must once again decide whether they will vote to fund a federal government that is enforcing tyrannical COVID-19 vaccine mandates on the American people.”

The lawmakers took aim at the “myriad municipalities and states that directly benefit of federal funding” as a result of the vaccine orders, including in Washington, D.C.

They also pointed out that the Biden administration has “unilaterally imposed” five COVID-19 vaccine mandates, referring to the mandates on medical workers, the military, federal employees and federal government contractors.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule, that businesses with at least 100 employees must require workers to get vaccinated or get tested weekly and wear a mask, was struck down by the Supreme Court at the beginning of January.

The court ruled that OSHA lacked the authority to impose such a mandate because the law that created OSHA “empowers the Secretary to set workplace safety standards, not broad public health measures.”