Biden Administration Asks Supreme Court To Uphold COVID-19 Workplace Vaccine Policies

The Biden administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to uphold its vaccine-or-testing mandate for large U.S. companies, as several business groups and GOP-led states seek to block the rule.

“The nation is facing an unprecedented pandemic that is sickening and killing thousands of workers around the country, and any further delay in the implementation of the [rule] will result in unnecessary illness, hospitalizations, and deaths because of workplace exposure to [Covid],” Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said in the filing.

Earlier this month, a federal appeals court reinstated the administration's Covid vaccination policy for large private businesses after an earlier court ruling halted one of President Joe Biden’s key measures to increase vaccination numbers.

Biden announced the policy in September, stating that businesses with 100 or more employees must ensure their workforces are fully vaccinated, or require workers who aren't vaccinated to wear masks and show negative Covid test results at least once a week. Employers can face fines for not complying.

Several GOP-led states and business groups are involved in a lawsuit challenging the rule, arguing that it exposes companies to financial risk for refusing to comply and threatens their workforces.

In a 2-1 ruling, a panel for the Ohio-based 6th Circuit said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration workplace order for businesses with at least 100 employees was valid.

Read the full article from NBC News here.