Enforcement of the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for millions of health care workers was blocked in 10 states on Monday, after a ruling by a federal judge in Missouri.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp affects the states involved in the lawsuit, which include Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, and New Hampshire.The others are North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Arkansas, Wyoming and Alaska.
At issue is President Joe Biden’s campaign to ensure that workers throughout the country are vaccinated against COVID-19.
Many private sector employees will be required to get vaccinated or undergo weekly tests, while some 17 million health care providers at facilities participating in the federal Medicare and Medicaid health insurance programs must be vaccinated — with no option to choose weekly testing instead.
Under the requirement, health care workers were to be vaccinated by Jan. 4, 2022.
In his 32-page opinion granting a preliminary injunction while the lawsuit proceeds, Schelp wrote that the state attorneys general challenging the mandate appear likely to succeed in their argument that federal health officials lack the authority to implement the requirement.
He also agreed with claims from the plaintiffs that health care facilities will suffer staffing shortages due to the requirement.
“The public has an interest in stopping the spread of COVID. No one disputes that,” Schelp, who was nominated by President Donald Trump in 2019, wrote in the 32-page opinion. “But the court concludes that the public would suffer little, if any, harm from maintaining the ‘status quo’ through the litigation of this case.”
In a statement after the ruling, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt described the injunction as “a huge victory for healthcare workers in Missouri and across the country, including rural hospitals who were facing near-certain collapse due to this mandate.”
“While today’s ruling is a victory, there’s more work to be done, and I will keep fighting to push back on this unprecedented federal overreach,” Schmitt added.
Several other lawsuits from states are pending in federal courts, challenging both the mandate on health care workers and the broader mandate on most private sector employees.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Monday that the administration is “obviously going to abide by the law and fight any efforts in courts or otherwise” to prevent health care facilities from protecting their work forces.
Meanwhile, in Florida, Attorney General Ashley Moody tweeted Tuesday: “I filed an emergency motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to stop the unlawful CMS vaccine mandate. With the deadline just days away, we must stop this unconscionable federal overreach before it devastates our entire health care system.”
–Laura Olson, Florida Phoenix
A.j says
Regardless, a person can still get the covid shot. This is what happens when non caring Repubs are in office. We need to vote them out of office.
Shelly says
Good, because that’s overreach and he can’t do that.
Deborah Coffey says
The title of the new book that will be published ten years from now, “How to Keep a Killer Pandemic Going for a Decade” will show how Republicans completely destroyed the United States of America…for power and money.
Timothy Patrick Welch says
Should the President have campaigns?
Or should the President acknowledge by signature, and act as administer of the laws sent forth from congress.
We don’t need a ruler, just an executive leader.
David Schaefer says
You got this !!!!!!
Angela says
I fully agree with you!
flatsflyer says
Keep up the good work. Republicans are killing their own and that’s a good thing. The country will be better off when they are all gone. Eventually a new and refreshing American will result, the one without the virus and without any Republicans.
beachlover says
That is hilarious, you will all be starving and homeless if you were left to your own devices. The whole country would look like California.