Labor Dept. Suspends Biden's Vaccine Mandate for Large Private Businesses

The Labor Department's regulatory agency has suspended the enforcement and implementation of President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large private businesses in response to a federal court order.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced Wednesday that it would comply with a recent order from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to halt enforcement of the mandate. It was scheduled to take effect Jan. 4, 2022. The rule directs companies with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccinations for workers, or require weekly tests and mask-wearing. The conservative Fifth Circuit transferred the case Wednesday to the also-conservative 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, where the Justice Department is expected to file a motion to attempt to nullify the order blocking the mandate. Roughly 80 million workers are impacted by the mandate.

Coverage of the news was split. Right-rated outlets covered and featured it prominently, often framing it as a clear rebuke of purportedly overbearing COVID-19 measures. CNN and The Hill were two of the only left- or center-rated sources to report on the news.