95 percent of the federal workforce has complied with Biden's vaccine mandate

Joe Biden.
(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Ahead of Monday's deadline, roughly 95 percent of the 3.5 million federal employees affected by President Biden's vaccine mandate have complied with the inoculation requirement for government workers, Politico reports, per the White House.

Over 90 percent of federal employees "have had at least one shot, with the vast majority of those employees being fully vaccinated," an administration official told Politico. The other 5 percent "have submitted exception applications that were already approved or are pending," per CNN. Any federal employee in the process of getting vaccinated or requesting an exemption is considered to be in compliance with the mandate, notes Politico.

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In September, Biden issued an executive order mandating all federal employees receive a COVID-19 vaccine within 75 days, declining to allow for a weekly testing alternative.

One source with knowledge of the compliance figures said the counts "have exceeded the administration's expectations," reports CNN.

For the employees who have not complied or do not have a pending or approved exception or extension request, federal departments and agencies will provide an "education and counseling process," per CNN. There may also be additional enforcement over time.

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.