Washington: US Supreme Court Shocked President Joey Biden On Thursday, large businesses blocked their COVID vaccination-or-test mandates for employees.
At the same time, the country’s Supreme Court allowed vaccination mandates for health care workers at facilities receiving federal funding.
Biden said he was “disappointed” in the court’s decision to reduce his mandate for businesses with 100 employees or more to vaccinate or test their employees for COVID-19.
“I am disappointed that Supreme court Biden, in a statement, has chosen to block the life-saving requirements of common sense for employees at large businesses that were thoroughly grounded in both science and law.
The president welcomed the requirement that health care workers be vaccinated, saying it would affect the nearly 10 million people working at facilities receiving federal funding and “save lives.”
After months of public appeals to Americans to get vaccinated against Covid, which has killed more than 845,000 people in the United States, Biden announced in September that he was making vaccinations mandatory at large private companies.
Non-vaccinated employees must submit weekly negative tests and wear face masks at work.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a federal agency, gave businesses until February 9 to stay in compliance with the rules or face the possibility of a fine.
But six conservative Supreme Court justices ruled that the mandate would represent a “significant infringement on the lives — and health — of a large number of employees.”
“Although Congress has unquestionably given OSHA the power to regulate occupational hazards, it has not given that agency the power to regulate public health more broadly,” he said.
“The 84 million Americans needed to be vaccinated because they work for employers with more than 100 employees certainly fall into the latter category,” he said.
Three liberal judges disagreed, saying the ruling “prevents the federal government’s ability to counter the unique threat that COVID-19 poses to our nation’s workers.”
The vaccination mandate for health care workers in facilities receiving federal funding was approved in a 5-4 vote, with two conservatives — Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh — joining the liberals.
“Ensuring that providers take steps to avoid transmitting a dangerous virus to their patients is in line with the core tenet of the medical profession: First, do no harm,” he said in the majority opinion.
Vaccination has become a politically polarizing issue in the United States, where approximately 63 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.
A coalition of 26 trade unions sued against the OSHA rules and several Republican-led states challenged the mandate for health care workers.
Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida said the court’s ruling “sends a clear message: Biden is not a king and his blatant encroachment of federal power will not be tolerated.”
“I had COVID and got the vaccine, but I will never support a vaccine mandate that scares hardworking Americans and kills jobs,” Scott said.
And former President Donald Trump welcomed the decision on businesses.
“The Supreme Court has spoken, confirming what we all know: Biden’s disastrous mandate is unconstitutional,” Trump said in a statement. “We are proud to not back down from the Supreme Court. No mandate!”
In his statement, Biden said it is now up to states and individual employers to determine whether they should “require employees to take the simple and effective step of getting vaccinated.”
He said the Supreme Court decision “does not prevent me from using my voice as president to advocate for employers to do the right thing to protect the health and economy of Americans.”
“If we have to save lives, hire people and leave this pandemic behind, we have to keep working together,” he said.
At the same time, the country’s Supreme Court allowed vaccination mandates for health care workers at facilities receiving federal funding.
Biden said he was “disappointed” in the court’s decision to reduce his mandate for businesses with 100 employees or more to vaccinate or test their employees for COVID-19.
“I am disappointed that Supreme court Biden, in a statement, has chosen to block the life-saving requirements of common sense for employees at large businesses that were thoroughly grounded in both science and law.
The president welcomed the requirement that health care workers be vaccinated, saying it would affect the nearly 10 million people working at facilities receiving federal funding and “save lives.”
After months of public appeals to Americans to get vaccinated against Covid, which has killed more than 845,000 people in the United States, Biden announced in September that he was making vaccinations mandatory at large private companies.
Non-vaccinated employees must submit weekly negative tests and wear face masks at work.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a federal agency, gave businesses until February 9 to stay in compliance with the rules or face the possibility of a fine.
But six conservative Supreme Court justices ruled that the mandate would represent a “significant infringement on the lives — and health — of a large number of employees.”
“Although Congress has unquestionably given OSHA the power to regulate occupational hazards, it has not given that agency the power to regulate public health more broadly,” he said.
“The 84 million Americans needed to be vaccinated because they work for employers with more than 100 employees certainly fall into the latter category,” he said.
Three liberal judges disagreed, saying the ruling “prevents the federal government’s ability to counter the unique threat that COVID-19 poses to our nation’s workers.”
The vaccination mandate for health care workers in facilities receiving federal funding was approved in a 5-4 vote, with two conservatives — Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh — joining the liberals.
“Ensuring that providers take steps to avoid transmitting a dangerous virus to their patients is in line with the core tenet of the medical profession: First, do no harm,” he said in the majority opinion.
Vaccination has become a politically polarizing issue in the United States, where approximately 63 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.
A coalition of 26 trade unions sued against the OSHA rules and several Republican-led states challenged the mandate for health care workers.
Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida said the court’s ruling “sends a clear message: Biden is not a king and his blatant encroachment of federal power will not be tolerated.”
“I had COVID and got the vaccine, but I will never support a vaccine mandate that scares hardworking Americans and kills jobs,” Scott said.
And former President Donald Trump welcomed the decision on businesses.
“The Supreme Court has spoken, confirming what we all know: Biden’s disastrous mandate is unconstitutional,” Trump said in a statement. “We are proud to not back down from the Supreme Court. No mandate!”
In his statement, Biden said it is now up to states and individual employers to determine whether they should “require employees to take the simple and effective step of getting vaccinated.”
He said the Supreme Court decision “does not prevent me from using my voice as president to advocate for employers to do the right thing to protect the health and economy of Americans.”
“If we have to save lives, hire people and leave this pandemic behind, we have to keep working together,” he said.
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