As you know, back in September, the White House announced a federal vaccine mandate and directed the Department of Labor to start drafting a rule that would require private businesses with over 100 employees to mandate the vaccine or require weekly testing. As I’ve said since day one, while I encourage folks to get the vaccine if they are able, the decision to get a vaccine is personal choice between an individual and their doctor and should not be mandated by the federal government.
This week, the Department of Labor released the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that further outlines the mandate, requiring employers to provide paid time to workers to get vaccinated and for any recovery. The deadline to begin paying for time-off to get the vaccine is December 5, 2021 and the enforcement deadline for full vaccination or testing is January 4, 2022. Please know that once the ETS is fully published, using congressional review authority, I will fight to repeal this mandate.
We expect many lawsuits on this issue, which is ultimately where the battle against vaccine mandates will have the highest likelihood of success. I thank Governor Kemp and Attorney General Carr for already filing a lawsuit challenging both the private business and federal contractor mandate.
I will do everything within my power to ensure freedom – not mandates – prevails.