White House Plans to Enforce Vax Mandates Even in States that Ban Them

CV NEWS FEED // White House Spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday that the administration intends to enforce Biden’s vaccine mandate universally, including in states where local lawmakers ban the mandate.

“These requirements are promulgated by federal law,” Psaki said:

So when the president announced his vaccine mandates for businesses, that of course we’re waiting on OSHA regulations for as a next step, that was pursuant to federal law and the implementation of federal law, because it’s an executive order. So our intention is to implement and continue to work to implement these requirements across the country, including in the states where there are attempts to oppose them.

Psaki went on to denounce the efforts of local elected officials to protect their constituents from the mandates, which have led to massive job-loss in the industries and states where they have been implemented. 

Singling out Greg Abbott, R-TX, and Ron DeSantis, R-FL, by name, Psaki accused the governors of putting “politics” ahead of public health, and suggested that they were trying to stop the Biden administration from “saving lives” for cynical reasons.

The Biden administration’s policy on vaccine mandates has taken a swift turn in recent weeks.

In December 2020, just weeks before taking office, then-President-Elect Joe Biden said of COVID-19 vaccination: “I don’t think it should be mandatory, I wouldn’t demand it to be mandatory.” 

Asked about vaccine mandates in July, Jen Psaki said “that’s not the role of the federal government.”

Readers can watch Psaki’s exchange with reporters on Tuesday below.