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- An Effort to Eliminate Federal Vaccine Mandate Fails in Senate, But Objections in the Courts Continue
Prior to the successful vote on the government funding bill, Senators on December 2 considered an amendment to eliminate the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements on US businesses, the military, and the federal workforce. The amendment failed to gain a majority vote.
The CAP has supported requirements that direct large employers to ensure their workers are fully vaccinated or tested weekly for the coronavirus. The Biden Administration requires health care workers to get COVID-19 vaccinations by January 4, which is a mandate supported by the CAP and all of medicine.
CAP Joins Court Challenges in Support of Vaccine Requirements
Following the release of the new Occupational, Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) regulations for large employers, several business entities, states, and other organizations filed lawsuits to prevent the government from enforcing the rules. The plaintiffs contend the rules are an overreach of the OSHA’s authority, and they dispute the level of risk that COVID-19 presents to workers.
On December 1, the CAP joined an amicus brief in support of the requirements challenged in BST Holdings, LLC v. OSHA. The amicus brief is signed by other leading health professional groups, the American Public Health Association, and 100 educators, scholars, and public health professionals. The amicus brief contends that the plaintiffs have ignored the scientific evidence showing that workplaces are at risk for both transmission and infections with the coronavirus. The Biden Administration’s vaccine rule for large companies is based on the latest scientific evidence and would prevent thousands of hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19, amicus brief states.