NEW: President Biden's blanket COVID vaccine mandate will affect 100M workers, but it won't impact the staffers working for some of the admin's most fervent critics on Capitol Hill. An important story by @leonardkl @rbravender & @KaylaEpstein ($) businessinsider.com/inside-congres…
"I believe in freedom," Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio told @thisisinsider on Monday when asked whether he requires vaccines for his staff. "I don't believe in mandates."
Jordan and other congressional Rs have no plans to force vaccines for their staffers, they said on Capitol Hill this week. And they don't have to comply with Biden's mandate. Each of the 435 US House offices essentially operates as its own fiefdom for setting vaccination rules.
A document obtained by Insider shows that each House member gets to decide whether to force their workers to get vaccinated for the coronavirus. That means that staffers could work alongside people — or entire offices — who choose not to be vaccinated. Page 1 of 4: 
Page 2 of the 4-page memo:
and the rest
The office-by-office COVID policies have created an atmosphere where some vaccinated, mask-wearing staffers are suspicious of the aides & lawmakers working in nearby offices. Some D staffers said they've been wary of sharing spaces in the cafeterias, bathrooms, and staircases.
One Republican House staffer told Insider that GOP aides don't talk about their vaccination status for the most part "and consider it a personal decision."
Check out the full report with a @thisisinsider subscription and get much more from across our entire newsroom. Sign up from here: businessinsider.com/inside-congres…
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
