by Sara Garstka
The COVID-19 pandemic is over, but vaccine mandates imposed by colleges and universities are not. Now a Virginia congressman has introduced a bill to withhold federal funds from institutions of higher education that require vaccinations against the disease.
President Joe Biden declared the pandemic over in ending the public health emergency May 11. Despite this, nearly 100 colleges and universities currently require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for the 2023-2024 school year.
Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., is the sponsor of a bill that would block federal funding to colleges and universities that impose COVID-19 vaccine mandates on students or staff. He calls it the No Vaccine Mandates in Higher Education Act.
“Taxpayer dollars should not flow to entities that coerce people into taking a COVID-19 shot,” Good said in a press release. “My legislation is an important effort in safeguarding personal freedoms and ensuring educational institutions prioritize instructing students and preparing them for the workforce.”
Good’s move follows action by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican, who on Sept. 14 banned state and local government officials from instituting COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Biden has not banned vaccine mandates at the federal level, despite ending the public health emergency. His leading challenger for the 2024 Democratic nomination for president, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., recently has been questioning the far Left’s pro-vaccine position by talking about medical freedom.
During a May appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Kennedy opposed mandates for emergency-use authorized vaccines, including those for COVID-19. Such vaccines, Kennedy argued, have not undergone the typical trial period of five to 10 years, in which vaccines are determined to be safe for widespread public distribution.
Research shows that vaccinations can negatively affect the health of individuals. One example is the incidence of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart, among young men in their teens or early 20s who received mRNA vaccines during the pandemic.
Athough the COVID-19 vaccines have been distributed only with emergency authorization, and their long-term health effects have not been studied, as of June only 18 states require that medical and religious exemptions be offered when vaccines are mandated.
Restricting federal funding for colleges and universities that violate Americans’ medical freedom is a necessary step, Good said of his bill.
“All Americans have a fundamental right to make medical decisions for themselves, and schools across the country need to respect that,” he said.
– – –
Sara Garstka is a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation.
