Cruz files bill to block shot mandates for kids
WASHINGTON — Sen. Ted Cruz is pushing legislation that would block schools from requiring students to get COVID vaccines.
The Texas Republican filed a bill this week that would prohibit the federal government or any entity at the federal, state or local level that receives federal funding, including school districts, from requiring COVID-19 vaccines for minors. The legislation comes as the Food and Drug Administration has authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine for children 5 through 11 years of age.
“Parents should have the right to decide what is best for their children in consultation with their family doctor,” Cruz said in a statement about the bill. “My view on the COVID-19 vaccine has remained clear: no mandates of any kind.”
Texas schools require students to get vaccinated for tetanus; polio; measles, mumps and rubella; hepatitis B; chickenpox; meningitis and hepatitis A. According to data from the Department of State Health Services, the number of Texas K-12 students who opted out of vaccines is 91,000 for the current school year, less than 2 percent. But the number of opt-out students has doubled since 2013.
Cruz’s bill comes as Texas Republicans push back on several fronts against President Joe Biden’s efforts to require masking and vaccines to curb COVID.
On Friday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he is suing the Biden administration over its vaccine-or-testing mandate for business with 100 employees or more, calling it a “breathtaking abuse of federal power.” At least 26 states have filed suits challenging the rule.
“This ‘standard’ is flatly unconstitutional,” he said in a statement. “Bottom line: Biden’s new mandate is bad policy and bad law, and I’m asking the court to strike it down.”
Last week, Paxton sued the Biden administration over its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors and federal employees.
Gov. Greg Abbott last month issued an order blocking even private businesses from requiring vaccines. His order prevents Texas schools from requiring COVID vaccines, as well.