03.08.22

Hoeven Continues Efforts to End COVID Mandates, Meets with North Dakota Members of Freedom Convoy

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven issued the following statement today after meeting with Jim Swartout of Williston, and other North Dakotans who are in Washington D.C. to participate in the Freedom Convoy. 

“Americans have the right to exercise their constitutionally protected freedoms of speech and assembly,” said Hoeven. “The mandates that have been put in place by the Biden administration are government overreach. That’s why we’ve been working to end the COVID mandates, and will continue to do all we can to push back on the administration. We appreciate Jim and other North Dakotans who took the time to travel here and meet with us." 

Last month, Hoeven helped introduce the Terminating Reckless and Unnecessary Checks Known to Erode Regular Shipping (TRUCKERS) Act in the Senate to exempt non-U.S. citizen commercial truck drivers from proof of vaccination requirements when temporarily entering the United States from Canada or Mexico for business through a land port of entry. 

Additionally, Hoeven has worked to stop the Biden administration’s COVID mandates, including: 

  • Voting for a resolution to terminate the COVID-19 national emergency declaration, which was approved in the Senate on March 3.
  • Voting to repeal the vaccine mandate on private employers. 
  • Voting to repeal the vaccine mandate for health care workers.
  • Working to prevent the federal employee and contractor mandates, including repeatedly voting to defund the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
  • Cosponsoring legislation to repeal the vaccine and mask mandates for Head Start teachers and volunteers.
  • Pressing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary to stop vaccine mandates for USDA employees.
  • Cosponsoring legislation to end the mask mandate for planes, trains and buses
  • Cosponsoring the COVID-19 Vaccine Dishonorable Discharge Prevention Act, which was signed into law as part of the NDAA, to prohibit the Department of Defense from giving servicemembers a dishonorable discharge if they decline to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

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