U.S. District Court Halts Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate

On Tuesday December 7th, a U.S. district court in Georgia halted President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors nationwide, in writing that the President exceeded his authority under the Procurement Act.  The mandate for federal contractors applied to roughly a quarter of the U.S. workforce, and affected any companies that do business with the federal government.

This follows the temporary block of OSHA’s ETS which mandated employers with 100 or more employees to mandate vaccinations, or weekly testing of their workforce.  While both of these have now been put on hold, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the administration will continue to defend the mandate in court.  The Senate voted to overturn President Biden’s mandate for large employers on Wednesday December 8th, but the House is likely to not take up the measure, and President Biden vowed that he would veto it if it reached his desk.

While employers wait for the official ruling on the federal and OSHA ETS mandates, they should still be mindful, as states and cities have begun enacting their own vaccine or testing mandates.  For example, New York City enacted a sweeping measure which will now require vaccine proof for indoor dining and other activities for those ages 5 and up.

This blog article is intended for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice or opinion.  Contact myHRcounsel with questions about the use and enforcement of vaccine mandates.