'COVID vaccine mandate will hamper US supply chains': 12 GOP senators warn President Biden

A group of Republican (GOP) senators have written to US President Joe Biden urging him to cancel the country's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for truck drivers along the US-Canada border. The GOP senators warned in their letter that the US COVID-19 vaccine mandate could hamper the country's supply chains and have far-reaching consequences that extend beyond our shared border.

Twelve Republican senators, led by Montana's Steve Daines, urged the Biden administration "to reengage our northern neighbour and leading export partner to establish a reciprocal policy for cross-border truck drivers that does not include a vaccine mandate and will not disrupt the North American supply chain," Fox News reported. 

"Trucking is the largest mode of surface trade with Canada; every day, there are approximately 14,000 total truck entries along the US-Canada border hauling more than $846 million of goods. Any disruptions to the continuity of US-Canada trade would likely have far-reaching consequences that extend beyond our shared border," Fox News quoted the letter.

Trucking Associations urge vaccine exemptions for drivers

Notably, the American Trucking Associations had said in a statement last month that vaccine exemptions were vitally important to protecting the US supply chain while highlighting the hardships truck drivers faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"In March of 2020, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency classified truck drivers as essential to the continued viability of our nation’s infrastructure because trucking is an indispensable component of North American trade and the linchpin of America’s domestic supply chain," Fox News quoted the letter. 

Biden administration to implement vaccine mandate ahead of winter

The Biden administration had, on November 23, urged the federal appeals court to lift an order halting its COVID vaccine mandate and testing requirements for private businesses, with a warning that delaying inoculation would cost lives and further increase hospitalisations.

President Biden's administration has proposed implementing the vaccine mandate ahead of the winter season. Several top health experts believe and have warned the Biden administration to invoke the mandate before the arrival of winters in order to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus and to avoid an overwhelming hospitalisation situation.

Speaking to the Associated Press, a top US health expert said that winter allows the infectious virus to multiply its numbers tremendously. As per President Joe Biden's proposal, if any worker or organisation do not follow the order, they will have to undergo weekly testing and wearing of face masks at workplaces.

(With input from agencies, Image: AP/Pixabay)