Supreme Court Begins Hearing Arguments To Biden’s Vaccine Rules

The Supreme Court is set to hold a public session Friday to hear challenges to President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate rules.

Biden announced two policies in 2021 that affect almost 100 million workers. The first policy is a vaccine and testing rule for private business with 100+ employees. The second policy is a vaccine mandate for any health care worker operating out of a facility that receives Medicaid and Medicare funding, minus those who qualify for religious and medical exemptions. While the policies were announced in November, enforcement has not yet begun due to lawsuits.

The White House has maintained the mandates’ legality, with the administration continuing to push businesses to move ahead with the vaccine and testing rule. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Thursday evening that the policies “are critical to our nation’s COVID-19 response.”

“Unvaccinated Americans continue to face a real threat of severe illness and death — including from Omicron,” Psaki said. “The OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] rule ensures that employers are protecting their employees by encouraging workers to get vaccinated and requiring unvaccinated workers to mask and test. The CMS [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services] healthcare rule protects vulnerable patients by requiring that covered healthcare providers get vaccinated. The need and the urgency for these policies is greater than ever, and we are confident in the legal authority for both policies.”