OSHA abandons business vaccine mandate

The Biden administration has withdrawn sweeping COVID-19 regulations it proposed for all U.S. businesses with 100 employees or more. The Supreme Court on Jan. 13 blocked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccinate-or-test requirement from taking effect. OSHA could have continued to defend the mandate in court, but the justices said the rule was beyond the scope of the executive branch’s authority and likely wouldn’t hold up.

What about other vaccine mandates? The courts have now squashed three of five Biden administration vaccine mandates, including those for federal contractors and employees. A vaccine mandate for healthcare workers was upheld by the Supreme Court on Jan. 13, and one for military service members is undergoing a legal challenge. OSHA said Tuesday that it still strongly encouraged workers to get the COVID-19 shot.

Dig deeper: Read Steve West’s report in Liberties on the Supreme Court’s latest vaccine mandate rulings.