Details are light, but President Biden reportedly will stop his vaccine mandate for federal employees.
According to the memo given by the Biden White House, the “White House’s Office of Management and Budget is informing agencies they should not suspend or fire federal employees for not going along with the federal vaccine mandate until after the incoming holidays.”
This is a huge defeat for a White House whose last remaining anti-COVID effort is centered almost exclusively on the mandate.
More lockdowns are out, according to one new report. Americans have lost their patience with travel restrictions and social distancing. And it is probably not so much of an exaggeration to say that “Which famous person is not using a mask today?” has taken the place of “Which Hollywood star is secretly gay?” as America’s top gossip topic.
That leaves the vaccine mandate. So for public perception’s sake, Biden is doing something, and no matter how unconstitutional and ineffective, he cannot let go of it.
But from here, it sure seems like Joe Biden’s suspension might become permanent.
While 92% of federal employees have at least one dose, it is unknown how many are completely dosed as Joe Biden’s mandate enforces. How many are refusing any shot and how many only got one but then said no on the second, are two things that are unknown.
“Only” 60% of Americans are completely vaccinated. If this same percentage is true for federal employees, that is four in ten who do no meet Joe Biden’s mandate.
The feds would have issues functioning if 8% of them were suddenly fired or suspended. If that turned out to be 40%, the entire thing would quickly be shut down — during a supply chain problem, I don’t need to even add.
With resistance to Biden’s mandate growing, it is impossible to guess exactly how many employees will refuse the second shot, or continue to no get the first shot of the experimental vaccine. But a safe guess would be a lot “more.”
With this in mind, will Joe Biden really reinstate his mandate when the holidays are done?
And the real question is, if federal workers cannot be mandated — with all of DC’s comments about how valuable they are — then why would ordinary Americans be subject to this mandate?
Author: Scott Dowdy