Senator Schmitt Introduces The End COVID Tyranny Act

WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Eric Schmitt introduced the End COVID Tyranny Act to protect Americans from further COVID tyranny and overreach from executive branch of the federal government:

“Mandates, vaccine passports, forced lockdowns, and further overreach imposed by Joe Biden and his army of federal bureaucrats during the COVID pandemic set an extremely dangerous precedent that still persists to this day. Missourians do not need faceless officials buried in a cubicle in Washington telling them how to live their lives – as Senator, I intend to protect Missourians from further rule-by-decree from unelected bureaucrats. The End COVID Tyranny Act limits the power of executive branch actors and returns the critical role of oversight to the Article I branch, the people’s branch,” said Senator Eric Schmitt.

“The COVID pandemic was a potent reminder of how easily our country can fall into tyranny. Overzealous bureaucrats shut down our schools, imposed unjust vaccine and mask mandates on our communities, and tossed aside Americans’ constitutional rights, all of which didn’t even meaningfully help combat the disease. After that disastrous experiment, there is no question lawmakers must set guidelines on our public health institutions to ensure it never happens again. The End COVID Tyranny Act is an important step in that direction, and we urge all members of Congress to join with Sen. Schmitt in working towards its passage,” said Terry Schilling, President, American Principles Project.

“Inconsistent and arbitrary government dictates from public health officials during the COVID pandemic resulted in the shuttering of millions of small businesses — leaving the millions of Americans they employ without any income. Among other things, Senator Schmitt’s legislation would ensure that the President cannot use the next public health emergency as a political tool by requiring congressional authorization for any public health emergency lasting more than 90 days and limiting the power of public health officials to issue mandates that negatively impact America’s job creators,” said Alfredo Ortiz, president and CEO of Job Creators Network.

BACKGROUND:

The End COVID Tyranny Act limits public health powers:

• Bans Mask Mandates for Head Start Programs.
• Limits the scope of public health authorities to disease control.
• Prevents vaccine status from effecting eligibility for organ transplantation.
• Requires congressional approval for public health emergencies lasting longer than ninety days.
• Requires hospitals to inform patients of their visitation rights.

The End COVID Tyranny Act reforms the CDC And NIH:

• Requires immediate congressional; appointment of the CDC Director and adds term limits for the CDC and NIH Directors.
• Ensures public health authorities are only used for disease control and not for non-health related administrative overreach.
• Requires the CSC Director’s Advisory Committee members be appointed by Congressional leadership and the Comptroller General of the United States.
• Transfers non-disease control offices from the CDC to the NIH.
• Requires all NIH-funded foreign laboratories to meet the same animal welfare and cleanliness requirements as domestic laboratories to qualify for NIH funds.