Dear Oklahoma Friends and Neighbors:

It is finally fall - my favorite season. All the kids in costumes this weekend, the fall weather, the homecoming events, it’s a great time of the year. I pray you enjoy in the days ahead as we prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas when so many families look forward to being together again.

Watching the news these days (if you are still watching the news), you might think that the only thing happening in DC is a long fight between the left and the far left. Democrats are arguing over how many trillions of dollars they want to spend and how many taxes they want to raise while they are still in control of the House, the Senate, and the White House. While they argue, there’s a growing list that still needs to get done like the annual authorization for our military and the 12 annual government funding bills that have not even gone through committee.

Oklahoma families and Oklahoma small business owners are concerned about inflation, the ongoing supply chain issues, energy costs, vaccine mandates, the crisis at the southern border, and the impending national security threat posed by our skyrocketing national debt. Every week our nation faces a new crisis created by the Biden Administration that is hurting our economy, our international standing, and our freedoms.

Biden Is Forcing Oklahomans to Choose between Their Job and the Vaccine

As I travel the state, Oklahomans tell me over and over about their strong opposition to Biden’s vaccine mandate because he “lost his patience” with the American people. Most people who have had the vaccine (like me and my family) still want other people to have the right to make their own choice. Federal employees, federal contractors, members of our Oklahoma National Guard, and anyone who works at a business that employs 100 or more people all face termination from their job, even if they are front line workers, essential workers, or emergency responders.

Biden has been clear: if you disagree with him, you will be fired from your job. Millions of people have already recovered from COVID-19 and have some level of natural immunity. Many others have a particular medical issue, and their doctor has recommended that they not take the vaccine at this time. Some have a religious objection to this vaccine, and others just don’t like the federal government telling them what to do. I completely get that. Everyone in our state knows someone who has died from COVID. In fact, we have lost more than 11,000 Oklahomans to COVID so far. But forcing someone to choose to get a vaccine against their doctor’s advice, their religious belief, or their own conscience is wrong.

Our military members and Guard face less-than-honorable discharge if they choose not to be vaccinated, which will affect their employment possibilities and other areas of their life for the rest of their life. That’s not a real choice for our military and Guard who have otherwise served with distinction.

Yesterday, I called out Secretary Austin for not responding to my letter in September calling on him to protect service members from being forced to choose between their sincerely held religious beliefs and serving in our nation’s military. He responded today, and I will hold him to his word that he will protect the religious liberty of every service man and women.

I recently called up my bill, the Stop Vaccine Mandates Act, to the floor for a vote, but the Democrats blocked it. My bill would override the President’s executive order and give American’s their choice back. My fight isn’t over. I remain focused on stopping the mandate in every way possible to keep people employed.