The move is aimed at forcing tens of thousands of employees to be vaccinated against Covid 19 by January 4th.
Announced in mid-September, it was approved by the administration this week and immediately challenged as a matter of urgency in court, especially in the state of Texas, which was restricted by Republicans who oppose any vaccine obligation to fight the epidemic.
In conclusion, the federal court, which is qualified for this large South American state, considers the plaintiffs to have “argued that there are serious constitutional and practical issues” with the government speech. The latter is therefore “suspended” by the court on the basis of merit.
“We can challenge Biden’s unconstitutional abuse of power in court,” Texas Conservative Governor Greg Abbott, who has already banned vaccination duties on his soil, responded on Twitter. He added that investigations would take place “soon”.
While this is only a pause in this regard, it is a major setback for the Democratic president, who monetized its infrastructure investment plan by passing his first major legislative victory in Congress on Friday.
“The best way”
“The best way is to get vaccinated against this disease,” Joe Biden commented in a statement on Thursday, promising to “avoid this obligation” which is expected to affect two-thirds of the country’s workforce. “Of course not many people are vaccinated to get out,” he said.
The paused text leaves it to the employer to take appropriate action, including discipline against the vaccine and routine testing. Companies that do not comply with the obligation will be fined between $ 13,000 and $ 136,000, according to the text.
The White House has warned that the new rule will apply to all states, including laws that prevent the need for vaccines, masks or tests.
But in a country with individual liberties, this American version of the health pass provokes a cry in Republican opposition, which condemns “dictatorship.”
Several large U.S. groups, including meat company Tyson Foods or airline United Airlines, have already prepared the field by imposing these obligations on their employees from the end of September.
Joe Biden noted that these precedents did not lead to “mass layoffs” or “labor shortages” due to opposition to the vaccine.
“Employers who have implemented vaccination programs in their workplaces, for the most part, have been incredibly successful because more than 95% of workers are in good condition with vaccination obligations,” said Deputy Minister of Labor Jim Frederick.
He predicted that this would “be the norm in most workplaces that use the vaccine requirement”.
As fuel from the summer by delta variation, the epidemic has already killed more than 750,000 people in the United States.
President Biden has made the struggle against Covid 19 one of the hallmarks of his presidency. But the full-fledged U.S. vaccination campaign has exhausted steam, increased pollution rates, and somewhat reduced the economic recovery.