Skip to main content

Palmer Sends Letter to Assistant Secretary of Labor to Oppose Federal Vaccine Mandate

November 1, 2021

For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Elizabeth Hance (202) 225-4921

Palmer Sends Letter to Assistant Secretary of Labor to Oppose Federal Vaccine Mandate

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06) and several other congressional colleagues have sent a letter to Secretary Doug Parker, the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, to oppose a federal vaccine mandate on businesses across the country. On sending the letter, Congressman Palmer released the following statement:

“Unfortunately, this Administration must be reminded that religious rights and other freedoms are not forfeited during a pandemic,” Palmer said. “The employer-employee relationship does not need intervention from a third federal party. Employees need their individual rights to be protected, not trampled upon by the government. I firmly believe this mandate is unconstitutional, and at the very least, we need to defend the rights of individuals who, for whatever deeply held beliefs, decide to refuse it. No one should be forced to choose between providing for their families and violating their conscience. Religious and other conscience exemptions are at the heart of the Constitution, which this Administration and every Member of Congress swore an oath to uphold and defend. This letter from my colleagues and me insists that at the least, individuals’ freedoms must be respected and maintained when regulations on the mandate are finalized and published.”

The full text of Congressman Palmer’s letter to Secretary Parker can be viewed here.

###