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The Maine congressional delegation was divided over President Joe Biden’s plan to force most American workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly tests, with Senator Susan Collins and Representative Jared Golden criticizing the proposal.
The Democratic president announced Thursday that workers in companies with more than 100 people would be required to get vaccinated or undergo weekly tests for the virus. The announcement comes as COVID-19 cases have increased in both the United States and Maine, while the number of vaccinations continues to slowly increase.
The proposed mandate would cover approximately 169,000 private sector workers in Maine. The majority of workers in this group have likely already been vaccinated, as more than 80% of eligible Mainers have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to federal data. But Gov. Janet Mills’ vaccination mandate for healthcare workers has already been the subject of a vocal setback here, leading the Democratic governor to extend the deadline for workers to get vaccinated.
The four members of the Maine congressional delegation said they support the vaccinations and encourage Mainers who have not yet received the vaccine to do so. But Collins, the only Republican on the delegation, said there were “difficult questions about the feasibility and implementation” of the requirement that could strain healthcare providers and businesses alike.
“The federal government should not dictate immunization mandates, and most importantly, should not tie Medicare and Medicaid funding essential for the care of our seniors to immunization mandates,” Collins said.
Golden, a Democrat from Borough 2, called the tenure abrupt and expressed concern about its effects on Maine’s already contested labor market.
“While I personally think getting the COVID-19 vaccine is a good thing to do, I’m generally skeptical of the federal government’s general mandates,” Golden said.
But Senator Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, and Representative Chellie Pingree, a Democrat from District 1, responded favorably.
“The frustrating refusal of people to be vaccinated for free has given new life to COVID-19 and allowed the Delta variant to spread in our communities,” Pingree said.
King, who contracted COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated but recovered relatively quickly and credited the vaccine with keeping him from becoming seriously ill, said he supported Biden’s efforts to “keep up with the science “and encouraged vaccinations as the delta variant tests hospital capacity and slows the country’s economic recovery.
“I urge all unvaccinated Americans to be careful of themselves and their loved ones by getting vaccinated before the virus strikes,” he said. “It could save your life. “
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