Senate expected to vote on nullifying Biden vaccine mandate

Senate Republicans are moving forward with their plans to defund President Biden's COVID-19 vaccine and testing requirements for private businesses.

Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana indicated that they will support it, meaning that the measure will likely pass since this vote will only require a simple majority. Lawmakers, through the Congressional Review Act, have the power to overturn federal agency rules within a certain timeframe with a simple majority vote in both the House and the Senate. If both the House and Senate pass the bill, the president may sign it - allowing the rule to be rescinded - or veto it, which would enable the rule to stand. Under regular rules, measures must usually have 60 votes of support to clear the Senate.

Manchin said on Monday that a vaccine mandate should be implemented for government employees and contractors who interact with government employees, but that he'd prefer to see a process to "incentivize" private sector employees, rather than punish them. Republican Senator Mike Braun of Indiana is leading the effort and initiated the congressional review process to rescind the rule.