Idaho Gov. Little ‘doing all we can’ to oppose federal vaccine mandate on businesses
Idaho and 26 other states filed an emergency motion to reinstate the stay in the U.S. Supreme Court on President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large private businesses.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little has opposed Biden’s vaccine mandates. In November, Little joined lawsuits to try to stop the private employer mandate, as well as vaccine mandates for federal contractors. On Friday, a three-judge panel in the Sixth Circuit allowed the vaccine mandate for larger private employers to move ahead by a 2-1 decision.
“We are doing all we can to put a stop to Biden’s unprecedented government overreach into the private sector,” Little said in a news release. “The majority of the nation’s governors oppose Biden’s damaging and ineffective vaccine mandate policies, but he continues to push them on citizens, businesses, and the states.”
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirement would apply to companies with 100 or more employees. That would cover about 84 million workers nationally, the White House said. Employees who aren’t fully vaccinated would have to take weekly COVID-19 tests and wear face masks at work.
The Supreme Court is likely to rule on the states’ motion in January, according to the news release from Little’s office.
Vaccine rules for federal government contractors and workers in health care facilities that receive Medicaid or Medicare funding are still on hold.
“Thankfully, two other vaccine mandates remain stayed, and collectively the states will give a voice to the millions of Americans being coerced and cornered by the President,” Little said.
