Biden announces COVID-19 vaccine mandates affecting 100 million Americans
In a recent White House address, President Biden announced coronavirus vaccine mandates that will affect millions of Americans. "All Staff Zoom Call with Vice President Biden, Dr. Biden, Senator Harris, and Doug Emhoff - Wilmington, DE - August 13, 2020" by Biden For President is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
President Biden announced sweeping coronavirus vaccine requirements on September 9 that could apply to as many as 100 million Americans, the centerpiece of a new six-pronged national COVID-19 strategy to combat the highly contagious Delta variant.
The President issued two executive orders, which include a vaccine mandate for all federal workers and contractors, and a requirement that all employers with 100 or more employees mandate vaccines for their workers or require the unvaccinated to show a negative test at least once a week. Biden also said that he would direct all health facilities that accept Medicare or Medicaid funding to mandate coronavirus immunization for their employees, a requirement that will impact around 17 million workers.
"My job as president is to protect all Americans," Biden said in an address from the White House. "So tonight, I'm announcing that the Department of Labor is developing an emergency rule to require all employers with 100 or more employees that together employ over 80 million workers to ensure their workforces are fully vaccinated or show a negative test at least once a week."
The six-part strategy aims to vaccinate the unvaccinated; further protect the vaccinated through booster shots; keep schools open and safe by encouraging vaccine mandates in schools and providing additional funding for safe reopening; increase testing and require masking; protect economic recovery; and improve care for coronavirus patients.
Companies could face a $14,000 fine per employee if they refuse to comply with the administration’s new directive. The far-reaching requirements will affect roughly two-thirds of the American workforce and represent a strong push on the part of the Biden administration to vaccinate the remaining 80 million Americans who have not yet received a coronavirus vaccine.
“We’re in a tough stretch, and it could last for a while,” Biden said. “What makes it incredibly more frustrating is we have the tools to combat covid-19, and a distinct minority of Americans, supported by a distinct minority of elected officials, are keeping us from turning the corner.”
During the evening address, Biden spoke directly to the 25 percent of Americans who are not yet vaccinated and acknowledged how unvaccinated covid patients are straining hospitals nationwide amid the Delta variant surge.
“We’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin. And your refusal has cost all of us. So, please, do the right thing, Biden said. He added, “But just don’t take it from me; listen to the voices of unvaccinated Americans who are lying in hospital beds, taking their final breaths, saying, ‘If only I had gotten vaccinated.’ ‘If only.’”
Biden’s expansive action to control the pandemic quickly sparked condemnation from prominent Republicans, with many considering the mandate to be a federal overreach. Within hours of Biden’s announcement, the Republican National Committee announced its plans to sue the Biden administration over the vaccine mandates, calling them “unconstitutional” and “authoritarian”.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt made his discontent with the President’s directive evident in a statement posted to Twitter: “It is not the government's role to dictate to private businesses what to do. Once again President Biden is demonstrating his complete disregard for individual freedoms and states' rights.”
While Biden’s consequential decision has garnered opposition from Republicans, 60 percent of Americans say they support the President’s vaccine mandates, according to an Axios-Ipsos poll conducted shortly after the announcement. While most Americans support the vaccine mandate overall, that support is not bipartisan; over 80% of Democrats support the new requirements, compared to only 30% of Republicans.