The Republican National Committee (RNC) on Sept. 10 announced it plans to sue President Joe Biden’s administration over its COVID-19 vaccine and testing mandate.
It comes just one day after the president issued sweeping new federal vaccine requirements that could affect as many as 100 million Americans and which the administration hopes will curb the surging Delta variant.
McDaniel also shared a press release announcing the RNC’s intent to sue the administration for what they called an “unconstitutional mandate.”
“Joe Biden told Americans when he was elected that he would not impose vaccine mandates. He lied. Now small businesses, workers, and families across the country will pay the price. Like many Americans, I am pro-vaccine and anti-mandate.
“Many small businesses and workers do not have the money or legal resources to fight Biden’s unconstitutional actions and authoritarian decrees, but when his decree goes into effect, the RNC will sue the administration to protect Americans and their liberties.”
Federal workers will have approximately 75 days to become fully vaccinated, however, there will be “limited exceptions for legally recognized reasons such as disability or religious objections,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington.
Those who fail to comply with the new order could face progressive disciplinary action, however, agencies are going to work with employees to ensure they understand the benefits of vaccination, and how the vaccines are free, easy, and widely accessible," Psaki said.
The administration’s rule will require that “all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require any workers who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before coming to work,”which will affect more than 80 million workers in the private sector.
During remarks on Sept. 9, Biden didn’t hold back from pointing the finger at the 80 million people who haven’t yet been vaccinated, saying, “We’ve been patient. ”But our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us.”
The president went on to claim that unvaccinated people are “crowding our hospitals” and said vaccines provide protection against COVID-19 hospitalizations.
“We’re in a tough stretch,” he added. ”This is not about freedom or personal choice.”
Biden previously mandated COVID-19 vaccination, but allowed workers who did not want it to remain unvaccinated, so long as they abided by strict protocols such as social distancing, wearing masks and getting regularly tested for the virus.
“This plan will ensure that we are using every available tool to combat COVID-19 and save even more lives in the months ahead, while also keeping schools open and safe, and protecting our economy from lockdowns and damage.”
The latest mandates are likely to face opposition from millions of Americans, with a recent Gallup poll finding that about 52 percent of people favored employer vaccine mandates but 38 percent opposed, with 29 percent saying they were strongly opposed.
