Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Jul 05, 2025

White House Defends US Vaccine Mandate Against Court Challenge

White House Defends US Vaccine Mandate Against Court Challenge

The US vaccine mandate is designed to push millions of workers at businesses with more than 100 employees into getting Covid-19 shots or submit to weekly testing.

US President Joe Biden's administration on Sunday issued a vocal defense of a controversial Covid-19 vaccine mandate for large companies despite a court challenge that temporarily freezes the program.

"The president and the administration wouldn't have put these requirements in place if they didn't think they were appropriate and necessary," Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said on ABC talk show "This Week."

"The administration is certainly prepared to defend them."

And White House chief of staff Ron Klain, citing earlier court rulings that upheld state-level mandates, said he was "quite confident" that the mandate would ultimately be upheld.

"It's common sense," he told NBC's "Meet the Press."

The federal mandate, designed to push millions of workers at businesses with more than 100 employees into getting Covid-19 shots -- or submit to weekly testing -- is key to administration efforts to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control.

But on Saturday, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said several petitioners opposing the mandate had raised "grave statutory and constitutional issues." It granted a temporary stay.

Petitioners -- including five conservative US states as well as several private employers and religious groups -- have questioned the federal government's authority to issue such a nationwide order.

Murthy, in defending it, cited a long history of such requirements -- going back to George Washington requiring his troops to be inoculated against smallpox -- and said that with the country still seeing 75,000 Covid cases a day, "it's important to take every measure possible to make our workplaces safer."

And with the new mandate not set to take effect until January, Klain expressed confidence courts would by then uphold it.

The traditionally conservative Fifth Circuit court, based in New Orleans, Louisiana, ordered the government to reply to petitioners' motion for a permanent injunction by Monday evening.

Senior Biden advisor Cedric Richmond said he was "absolutely" convinced the new rule would survive judicial scrutiny.

"We're very confident we're on statutory and legal grounds," he told CBS. "This is about keeping Americans safe."

Should the suspension be upheld it would represent a major setback to one of Biden's most far-reaching efforts to secure the immunization of American workers, amid predictions of a Covid-19 winter resurgence.

Around 58 percent of the total US population was fully vaccinated as of early November, up from half in August as state, local and company mandates were announced.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
×