WEST VIRGINIA (WDVM) — On Thursday night, Congress voted to avoid a government shutdown by raising the debt ceiling yet again. While the vote went through, there was some tension in the chamber, as some legislatures aimed to use the government shutdown as a way to stop President Joe Biden’s nationwide vaccine mandate.
While West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin has said he is against the mandate, he voted to raise the debt ceiling, saying he doesn’t support shutting down the federal government for “political reasons.”
“I’ve been very supportive of a mandate for federal government, for military, for all the people that work on government payroll,” said Sen. Manchin. “I’ve been less enthused about it in the private sector.”
Moving forward, Sen. Manchin, along with several other senators, intends to bring forth a bill that would overturn the nationwide vaccine mandate.
“I have long said we should incentivize, not penalize, private employers whose responsibility it is to protect their employees from COVID-19. I have personally had both vaccine doses and a booster shot and I continue to urge every West Virginian to get vaccinated themselves,” said Sen. Manchin.
The senator’s home state of West Virginia currently has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.