Headline Roundup • November 18th, 2021
Labor Dept. Suspends Biden's Vaccine Mandate for Large Private Businesses
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The Labor Department's regulatory agency has suspended the enforcement and implementation of President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large private businesses in response to a federal court order.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced Wednesday that it would comply with a recent order from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to halt enforcement of the mandate. It was scheduled to take effect Jan. 4, 2022. The rule directs companies with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccinations for workers, or require weekly tests and mask-wearing. The conservative Fifth Circuit transferred the case Wednesday to the also-conservative 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, where the Justice Department is expected to file a motion to attempt to nullify the order blocking the mandate. Roughly 80 million workers are impacted by the mandate.
Coverage of the news was split. Right-rated outlets covered and featured it prominently, often framing it as a clear rebuke of purportedly overbearing COVID-19 measures. CNN and The Hill were two of the only left- or center-rated sources to report on the news.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Source: AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis
After a series of court rulings halting President Joe Biden's vaccination mandate for private companies, OSHA has officially suspended the implementation and enforcement of the requirement. The mandate was scheduled to go into effect January 4, 2022.
"On November 12, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted a motion to stay OSHA's COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard, published on November 5, 2021 (86 Fed. Reg. 61402) ("ETS"). The court ordered that OSHA 'take no steps to implement or enforce' the ETS 'until further court...
CNN Digital
The Biden administration's vaccine mandate targeting businesses with more than 100 employees is now before the conservative-leaning Ohio-based 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which could soon decide its fate.
Late Wednesday, the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which has blocked the mandate, transferred its case to the 6th Circuit, where 34 challenges filed nationwide will be consolidated after that court was picked through a lottery on Tuesday. The Justice Department is expected to file a motion with the 6th Circuit to try to vacate the order blocking the mandate.
...
The Hill
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is suspending enforcement of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large private businesses after a federal appeals court upheld a stay on it last week.
OSHA said in a statement published on its website Friday night that while it is confident in its power to protect workers amid the pandemic, it is suspending activities related to the mandate, citing the pending litigation.
“The court ordered that OSHA 'take no steps to implement or enforce' the ETS [Emergency Temporary Standard] 'until further court order.' While OSHA remains confident in its...
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