SAN ANTONIO - A U.S. Representative from Texas is calling on fellow lawmakers to help him shut down the government.
Chip Roy says his constituents are calling and voicing concerns against the federal vaccine mandate.
We reached out to Roy and democrats to see how their battle could impact you.
"Why would anyone in this chamber vote to fund a government that is going to mandate that people have to lose their jobs?" Republican Representative Roy said before Congress Thursday.
A question Congressman Chip Roy has been asking for days now as he pushes to shut down the government.
"This is a political decision with COVID-19 that is unnecessary, and I don't believe we should fund the government that's putting those mandates in place."
The clock is ticking as the deadline quickly approaches for Congress to decide by Friday night.
So far, 59.4% of Americans are vaccinated.
Here in Texas 69.96 percent according to the CDC.
“People have the ability to make a choice. But for example, my dear friend, who is a teacher at a university, I won't say which one she has multiple sclerosis and her doctors are telling her they're not all that interested in her actually getting this vaccine yet because it might trigger her system. Why does she have to choose to give up teaching?” said Roy.
Roy says Biden's vaccine mandate is forcing people to make a choice they don't want to make get the vaccine or risk getting fired.
"We should stop that," Roy said.
His plan is to shut down the government.
"Our desire is to force a simple question,” Roy said. “Should a member of Congress vote to fund the very bureaucrats that are telling an individual you must go get vaccinated or you will lose your job?"
We reached out to Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar who responded to Roy saying, “I do not want anybody to lose their jobs.
“But is it better to shut down the whole government over a policy decision? No,” Cuellar said. “That's not the way to run the government without due respect.”
Cuellar says a shutdown means as lawmakers they've failed to do their job, but it would also have a huge impact on you.
"Shutting down the government. will affect the economy shutting down the government will affect the productivity as the nation and we're trying to get out of this pandemic," Cuellar said.
"Nobody in Washington should be mandating what one of my constituents does when they go into their doctor's office,” Roy said, “That's the position I am going to die on that hill for.”
Congressman Cuellar says he's willing to work with Representative Roy to come up with a solution and says he's confident there won't be a shutdown.