In the next few days, the Biden administration is expected to publish its mandate requiring private businesses to make sure each of their employees has received a COVID-19 vaccination.
CNBC reported the Labor Department said the rule applies to businesses with 100 or more employees. It’s estimated to cover about two-thirds of the private sector workforce.
The federal government will require companies with at least 100 workers to provide paid time off for employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and paid sick leave to recover from effects of the shots, a Biden administration official said Monday.
The White House budget office has completed its review of the rule being written by OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration), which is expected to be released this week.
“Covered employers must develop, implement, and enforce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy unless they adopt a policy requiring employees to choose either to get vaccinated or to undergo regular COVID-19 testing and wear a face covering at work,” a Labor Department spokesperson said Monday.
The official said the Office of Management and Budget completed its review of the OSHA rule on Monday, and the rule will be published in the Federal Register “in the coming days.”
Mandate for Federal Contractors Meeting Resistance
The White House also announced Monday the administration will give federal contractors broad authority on how to treat employees who refuse to be vaccinated.
The vaccine mandate for the contractors is set to go into effect on Dec. 8.
The order has met resistance from some workers at large employers with federal contracts, including American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. The CEO of Southwest said his airline would not fire anybody for refusing to get the shots.
As CBN News reported last week, some states are also fighting back with new laws aimed at blocking the federal mandate. During a news conference Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his state had sued the Biden administration over its coronavirus vaccine mandate for federal contractors.
DeSantis said the president doesn’t have the authority to issue the rule, and that it violates a key element of the law.
Missouri, Nebraska, and eight other states are also suing the Biden administration over the vaccine mandate for federal contractors, according to Just The News.
Liberty Counsel has filed a class-action lawsuit and temporary injunction against the White House and all five branches of the military in an attempt to stop it.
Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel calls the vaccine mandate, “…reprehensible. It’s un-American, it’s unconstitutional, it’s illegal to force individuals, particularly our healthcare working heroes against their will, and that is just despicable.”
RNC and TX Seek to Block Private-Sector Mandate
The Republican National Committee has said it’s suing over the private-sector mandate. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also signed an executive order he says nullifies the federal mandate for businesses in the Lone Star State, and at least 24 attorneys general have announced they’ll sue over the mandate.
Still, many legal experts believe the government will win. And if the mandate isn’t blocked, millions of Americans not only face unemployment but the possibility that unemployment benefits could be blocked as well.
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