Federal judge blocks vaccine mandate for govt. employees

What’s this world coming to when the U.S. government can’t even require its federal employees to be vaccinated?

But that’s what happened when a Texas federal judge said “NO” to President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal workers.

Jan. 21 was the date when the government could start disciplining federal employees for not being vaccinated. Since that’s today, the judge required his order to take effect immediately or else these employees would be at risk of “imminent harm.”

January has been a tough month for the Biden administration’s vaccination efforts.

Exceeded authority

According to Trump-appointed Judge Jeffrey Brown, the mandate exceeded the president’s authority.

“The court notes at the outset that this case is not about whether folks should get vaccinated against COVID-19 – the court believes they should. It is not even about the federal government’s power, exercised properly, to mandate vaccination of its employees. It is instead about whether the President can, with the stroke of a pen and without the input of Congress, require millions of federal employees to undergo a medical procedure as a condition of their employment,” as was stated in the court document.

While this is another blow to the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate, it isn’t going to have a huge impact on federal workers. Reason: Ninety-eight percent of federal workers already are vaccinated, according to a press briefing by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

No surprise here, the U.S. Justice Department said it plans to appeal the ruling.

Require vaccinations?

Of course, all of this comes on the heals of the Supreme Court’s decision to block Biden’s mandate for employers with 100 plus workers and uphold the vaccination mandate for healthcare workers.

For now, the Biden administration is urging employers to require COVID-19 vaccinations. But as we stated in an earlier post, this is something Benefit pros must consult with their employers on. With the Great Resignation going on, a vaccine requirement may deter some people and attract others.

We will keep you posted if anything else on the vaccine mandate pops up!