BIDEN SEEKING FEDERAL VAX MANDATE
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President Joe Biden speaks in the White House in Washington on April 5, 2022. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
VACCINES & SAFETY
Biden Administration Seeking to Reinstate Federal Vaccine Mandate
By Naveen Athrappully
April 12, 2022 Updated: April 12, 2022
The Biden administration on Monday asked an appeals court to reinstate the federal vaccine mandate following a critical legal victory last week, while the White House’s COVID-19 coordinator said they were willing to prolong the mask mandate based on a CDC decision.
A divided U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit panel reversed a January nationwide injunction order by Judge Jeffrey Brown—appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of Texas by former President Donald Trump—ruling that the federal judge did not have jurisdiction in the case. The panel added that those seeking a challenge should have pursued administrative remedies under civil service law.
The 2–1 win paves the way toward the reinstatement of the federal vaccine mandate, while the Justice Department has requested the New Orleans-based appellate court to take “appropriate steps so that the government may resume implementation and enforcement” of the mandate.
The judgment is set to take effect on May 31 but the recent request would move up the timeline for a speedy mandate renewal. The department argued that the urgency is “justified by the serious ongoing harm to the public interest and to the government.”
President Joe Biden initiated the executive order on Sept. 9 mandating all 3.5 million government employees to get vaccinated against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, with exemptions for religious and medical reasons, or face disciplinary action, including termination.
Soon after the mandate was issued, the administration was hit with lawsuits as numerous organizations and individuals challenged it, including Feds for Medical Freedom, a grassroots coalition that filed the lawsuit.
According to the White House, more than 93 percent of federal employees have received at least one vaccination, and 98 percent have been vaccinated or are seeking a religious or medical exemption.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, said that the federal mask mandate—applicable to public transportation, transit hubs, airports, and airplanes—could be extended beyond its current April 18 deadline.
“This is a [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] decision, and I think it is absolutely on the table,” Jha said Monday on the “TODAY” show, adding that the White House’s decision would be based on the “framework that the CDC scientists create.”
The CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky has been criticized for publishing confusing and sometimes contradictory messages regarding COVID-19 policies. During the spread of the Delta variant last year, Walensky’s statement regarding wearing masks for vaccinated individuals initially opposed World Health Organization’s guidelines.
Jha said that an announcement regarding the mask mandate would be made in “the next few days.”
The BA.2 Omicron subvariant currently accounts for 72.2 percent of all COVID-19 cases in the United States, and is more transmissible than the original variant. However, it is considered less severe.
Philadelphia announced it would be reimposing the mask mandate for indoor premises next week after a rise in the number of cases.
Biden Administration Seeking to Reinstate Federal Vaccine Mandate (theepochtimes.com)
