The U.S. Senate was expected to vote on Wednesday on a Republican measure to up-end Democratic President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private business, a move that appeared to have enough support from Democrats to succeed.
The measure is not subject to Senate rules that require 60 of its 100 members to agree on most legislation, meaning it could pass with just a 51-vote simple majority. Two Senate Democrats -- Joe Manchin and Jon Tester -- were expected to join 50 Republicans in voting for the bill.
"We are in the middle of a public health crisis. Everyone sees the damage it causes," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat, said in a speech. "The way to solve this is to be driven by science." The United States has the world's highest daily average of new coronavirus infections. The virus has infected 49.5 million Americans and killed more than 794,000, according to the Reuters COVID-19 Tracker.
But Republicans touted the measure's bipartisan support as a clear message of public concern about the mandate's potential impact on workers, businesses and the economy. The chamber's top Republican, Mitch McConnell, branded the Biden mandate as an "illegal" and "absurd" government effort to micromanage the lives of private citizens.Register now for FREE unlimited access to reuters.
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