Republican Senators Introduce Bill to End ‘Highly-Politicized Vaccine Mandate’ for DC Schools

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol to discuss immigration at the southern border in Washington, D.C., on June 22, 2022. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) on Monday introduced a bill they said is designed to protect 12- to 15-year-old students in Washington, D.C. public schools from mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations.

If enacted, their legislation would would block a 2021 bill by the D.C. Council that amended a 1979 immunization law to add COVID-19 vaccines to the required list of childhood shots.