Biden administration ‘has the authority,’ calls for disregarding ruling by federal appeals court
The Biden administration claims it ”has the authority” to make a decision on how to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, calling on businesses to disregard a US federal appeals court ruling and continue enforcing the country’s vaccine mandate.
“The administration clearly has the authority to protect workers, and actions announced by the president are designed to save lives and stop the spread of Covid-19,” White House deputy press secretary Jean-Pierr said, disregarding a freeze of the mandate by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
The administration has required American companies with at least 100 employees to undergo the mandate in the administration’s efforts to tackle the Covid-19.
The federal appeals court, however, temporarily blocked the mandate following lawsuits filed by more than two dozen Republican-controlled states, namely Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Utah.
‘We know the way’
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the conservative-leaning portion of the population has viewed efforts to tackle the virus with skepticism.
The latest announcement could deepen the rift between Democrats and Republicans over how to handle the pandemic and its repercussions in the United States, which appears to have resulted in the politicization of mandates, masks and vaccines.
“We think people should not wait,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. “We say, do not wait to take actions that will keep your workplace safe. It is important and critical to do and waiting to get more people vaccinated will lead to more outbreaks and sickness.”
The three-judge panel on the court cited "grave statutory and constitutional issues" with the vaccine-or-test mandate but the White House official argued that it is “trying to get past this pandemic.”
“And we know the way to do that is to get people vaccinated,” Jean-Pierre said.
The Biden administration has given businesses until Jan. 4 to comply with the ruling that is estimated to affect more than 80 million people.
Some Republicans such as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had previously taken credit for the court ruling, branding it as a victory for the GOP camp.
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