Congress moves to strip vaccine mandates from COVID-relief recipients
H.R. 119 — To prohibit any entity that receives Federal funds from the COVID relief packages from mandating employees receive a COVID-19 vaccine, and for other purposes. · Filed by Andy Biggs (R-AZ) · Introduced Jan 3, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill prohibits any organization that received federal COVID-relief money from requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. If an organization violates this rule, it must return all the COVID-relief funds it received to the federal government.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a straightforward prohibition on vaccine mandates for employers receiving COVID-relief funds, with a clawback provision for non-compliance. It is a direct policy restriction, not a subsidy, immunity grant, or deregulation of existing rules.
What the text implies
- The bill applies retroactively to all COVID-relief funds already distributed (2020–2021), potentially forcing organizations to choose between compliance and returning years of funding, creating financial pressure on hospitals, schools, and nonprofits.
- Clawback provision may trigger cascading budget crises at healthcare systems and public institutions that relied on COVID funds for operations, potentially reducing service capacity.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who it affects
Employees at federally-funded entities gain freedom from employer vaccine mandates, which some will view as a protection of bodily autonomy and employment choice. However, the bill may reduce workplace disease-control measures and create public-health risks in settings serving vulnerable populations (hospitals, nursing homes, schools), potentially harming both workers and the public they serve.