Republican bill would reinstate airplane pilots fired over Covid vaccine mandate refusal
Republicans say the last time a pilot was treated this unfairly was when the 1969 sketch comedy show Turn On was cancelled after its first commercial break.
Context
In September 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order mandating the Covid vaccine for federal employees and federal contractors. Since most major U.S. airlines have federal contracts, most of those companies implemented a corporate vaccine requirement in accordance with Biden’s executive order.
The actual punishment varied. While both American Airlines and Southwest Airlines decided not to actually fire any non-complying pilots, other airlines like United Airlines did. However, only six of United’s approximately 13,000 pilots were actually fired as a result.
In May 2023, Biden repealed the Covid vaccine requirements for federal employees and federal contractors alike.
Two months later, in July, Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL15) introduced an amendment to an FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) funding bill, which would have reinstated any airline’s pilots who were fired for refusing to comply.
The amendment failed by 141–294. House Republicans voted mostly in favor by 140–83, though with a sizable contingent against. Only one Democrat voted for it: Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME2).
What the legislation does
Since that bill amendment failed, Republicans have introduced legislation to implement the same policy as a standalone measure instead: require the FAA to make airlines reinstate any pilot who was fired for refusing to comply with a Covid vaccine mandate.
While the total number of pilots fired due to vaccine noncompliance is unknown, it’s unclear that it’s more than the six known United airlines pilots.
The House version was introduced on December 6 as H.R. 6627, by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA14). The Senate version was introduced that same day as S. 3413, by Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS).
The legislation does not appear to have another, more “official” title.
What supporters say
Supporters argue that the president shouldn’t have coerced private companies into punishing those who disagreed with their stance on vaccines.
The legislation would “bring justice to the pilots who were forced out of their livelihoods for bravely refusing to take the Covid-19 vaccine,” Rep. Greene said in a press release. “These pilots were denied their medical freedom and lost their jobs because of the tyrannical mandates. This bill will hold airlines accountable by requiring them to reinstate those pilots who were unjustly fired.”
“The Biden administration’s ‘jab or job’ vaccine mandates will go down as a dark time in American history,” Sen. Marshall said in a separate press release. ”We will continue to fight for every American wronged by the Biden administration’s… vaccine mandate that has impacted not only our pilots’ livelihoods, but our servicemen and women.”
(Sen. Marshall references the administration’s prior Covid vaccine requirement for military members. Congress enacted a law in December 2022 requiring the Secretary of Defense to repeal that mandate, which Lloyd Austin ultimately did in January 2023.)
What opponents say
Opponents, including even some chief executives at the country’s largest airlines, countered that their corporate vaccine mandates were essential to protecting public health.
“Within our company, we have continually prioritized the safety of our employees and customers, including taking decisive action on mask and vaccine requirements,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in 2021 Senate Commerce Committee testimony. “Some of the decisions were hard, but necessary.”
“I personally sent letters to the families of every United employee who died from Covid-19,” Kirby continued. “We must continue to do all we can to keep another United family from receiving that letter.”
Odds of passage
The House version has not yet attracted any cosponsors, even though 141 House members voted for it in amendment form back in July. The standalone bill awaits a potential vote in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
The Senate version has attracted one Republican cosponsor: Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN). It awaits a potential vote in the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.
Odds of passage are low in the Democratic-controlled chamber.
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This article was written by GovTrack Insider staff writer Jesse Rifkin.
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