A decision by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to withdraw the vaccine mandate for many private employers drew plaudits from a local lawmaker and vocal critic of the plan.

U.S. Rep. Fred Keller, R-Kreamer, said the OSHA announcement is an acknowledgment that “this unconstitutional mandate is finished.”

The news, he said, follows months of pressure in both the House and Senate to get behind a Congressional Review Act resolution to eliminate the mandate.

Keller, whose 12th House District includes Lycoming County, has been a strong vaccine mandate opponent.

“While I am confident this mandate has no path forward, I stand ready to implement our Congressional Review Act if the Biden administration attempts to revive this effort,” he said.

Keller told the Sun-Gazette he had no qualms about speaking out against the mandate at a time when COVID infection rates have increased.

He explained that it came down to the question of not whether someone should get a vaccine but if the government should require people to get one.

Keller noted that OSHA issued the Emergency Temporary Standard in early November requiring private employers of more than 100 people to mandate vaccination among the workforce.

Shortly thereafter, Keller and U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Indiana, introduced resolutions to formally disapprove of the rule under the Congressional Review Act.

This month, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that OSHA could not enforce ETS while the lower courts continued to examine its legality.

Keller and U..S. Rep. Chris Pappas, R-New Hampshire, earlier this month sent a letter to President Biden voicing concern over ETS.

The letter read in part: “We remain concerned about the implementation of the ETS and the impact this will have on smaller businesses across the country. Vaccines remain a safe and essential component in the public health effort against COVID-19. However, asking private businesses to enforce a vaccinate-or-test requirement is unnecessarily burdensome to struggling businesses in our districts and unrealistic given the lack of testing capacity.”

The letter further states the “confusion and economic hardship” that ETS will cause for employers and workers and called for a more “realistic approach” for encouraging vaccinations, ensuring workplace safety and supporting local economies.