West Palm Beach, FL – Today, Representatives Lois Frankel (D-FL-21), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Ted Deutch (FL-22), Frederica Wilson (FL-24), Charlie Crist (FL-13), Val Demings (FL-10), Al Lawson (FL-05), Stephanie Murphy (FL-07), Darren Soto (FL-09), and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20) sent a letter to Governor Ron DeSantis and Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Simone Marstiller urging the State to comply with federal vaccine laws to avoid losing $1.2 million in critical funding for Medicare and Medicaid.

The letter states, in part, “Clinical trials and real-world data have proven that vaccinations reduce the spread of disease, severe illness, hospitalization, and death. While your administration may not agree with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rule on vaccination requirements, it remains the law of the land. This latest action is in violation of your obligations under federal law and is costing Florida taxpayers over $1.2 million. We urge you to reverse course immediately.”

The Social Security Act requires states to enforce all CMS regulations in order to receive Medicare and Medicaid funding. Florida’s refusal to enforce federal COVID-19 vaccination requirements for staff at CMS facilities—a requirement the U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld—is in violation of federal law. By not enforcing this federal requirement, the state is jeopardizing access to care for millions of seniors and low-income individuals, and will cost taxpayers $1.2 million if it continues.

Full text of the letter is available here.

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