Three more filed similar lawsuits Thursday.īiden framed the issue as a simple choice between getting more people vaccinated or prolonging the pandemic. She recently signed a bill guaranteeing that people who are fired for refusing a vaccine can qualify for unemployment benefits.Īt least 19 Republican-led states previously sued the Biden administration over a separate mandate requiring vaccines for employees who work for federal contractors. Kim Reynolds characterized the mandate as an imposition on personal choice, saying people should be able to make their own health care decisions. Ron DeSantis criticized what he called an "executive fiat" for the private sector. Eric Holcomb said in a statement.Īt a news conference, Florida Gov. "While I agree that the vaccine is the tool that will best protect against COVID-19, this federal government approach is unprecedented and will bring about harmful, unintended consequences in the supply chain and the workforce," Indiana Gov.
States say they are focusing on the role of the federal government in the lawsuits they're preparing. "It adds insult to injury and forces them potentially to fire trained employees," Alt said. The mandate will make things worse, he said. Robert Alt, a lawyer representing the Midwest companies suing - manufacturer Phillips Manufacturing & Tower Company and packaging firm Sixarp - said both companies are already facing staffing shortages amid the pandemic. So did companies in Michigan and Ohio represented by a conservative advocacy law firm. The Daily Wire, a conservative media company, filed a challenge in federal court on Thursday. Republican governors or attorneys general in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and South Dakota said Thursday they would file lawsuits against the mandate as soon as today. "It's unconstitutional and we will fight it." His state's governor, Republican Henry McMaster, said he is planning to issue an executive order keeping state agencies from enforcing the rule. "This rule is garbage," South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, a Republican, said Thursday through a spokesperson. Some Republican-led states had already passed laws or executive orders intended to protect employers that may not want to comply. The requirements will not apply to people who work at home or outdoors.Īt least two conservative groups moved quickly to file lawsuits against the workplace safety mandate, and a growing roster of GOP governors and attorneys general said more lawsuits were on the way as soon as today. Workers will be able to ask for exemptions on medical or religious grounds. Those workers will not have an option for testing - they will need to be vaccinated. Tougher rules will apply to another 17 million people working in nursing homes, hospitals and other facilities that receive money from Medicare and Medicaid. It asked for public comment on whether employers with fewer than 100 employees could handle vaccination or testing programs. OSHA left open the possibility of expanding the requirement to smaller businesses. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations will force the companies to require that unvaccinated workers test negative for covid-19 at least once a week and wear masks while in the workplace.
If successful, administration officials believe it will go a long way toward ending a pandemic that has killed more than 750,000 Americans.įirst previewed by President Joe Biden in September, the requirements will apply to about 84 million workers at medium and large businesses, although it is not clear how many of those employees are unvaccinated. The new requirements are the Biden administration's boldest move yet to persuade reluctant Americans to finally get a vaccine that has been widely available for months - or face financial consequences. 4 or get tested for the virus weekly under government rules issued Thursday. Tens of millions of Americans who work at companies with 100 or more employees will need to be fully vaccinated against covid-19 by Jan.
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