Biden says he's 'disappointed' the Supreme Court blocked his 'common-sense' employer vaccine mandate

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Following the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision against his large employer vaccine-or-testing mandate but in favor of a mandate for health care workers, President Biden issued a response commenting on the Thursday ruling.
"Today's decision by the Supreme Court to uphold the requirement for health care workers will save lives," Biden wrote, "the lives of patients who seek care in medical facilities, as well as the lives of doctors, nurses, and others who work there."
However, the president said he is "disappointed that the Supreme Court has chosen to block common-sense life-saving requirements for employees at large businesses that were grounded squarely in both science and the law." He noted that his administration's policy was designed to allow employees at large companies to opt out of vaccination, so long as they tested once a week and wore a mask at work. "A very modest burden," Biden said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Though the court ruled against the administration, the president noted he will not stop "using my voice as president to advocate for employers to do the right thing to protect Americans' health and economy." He then called for business leaders to "join those who have already stepped up" and implement vaccination requirements of their own.
"We have to keep working together if we want to save lives, keep people working, and put this pandemic behind us."
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Brigid is a staff writer at The Week and a graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Her passions include improv comedy, David Fincher films, and breakfast food. She lives in New York.
-
'America's conservative party has collapsed'
Instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass Published
-
'Biden must be embarrassed he didn't think of this first'
Instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass Published
-
Biden creates White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention
Speed Read The office will be led by Vice President Kamala Harris
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Will the US keep aiding Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Republicans give Volodymyr Zelenskyy a 'cold shoulder' in D.C.
By Joel Mathis Published
-
Hunter Biden: a case of special treatment?
Why everyone's talking about If Hunter's surname weren't Biden, he probably wouldn't be facing these charges, say commentators
By The Week Staff Published
-
Should cognitive testing be a presidential prerequisite?
Today's Big Question A growing chorus of pundits and candidates are pushing mental fitness challenges as a campaign necessity
By Rafi Schwartz Published
-
Disunited nations: has the UN lost its relevance?
Missing figures at UN General Assembly lead to broad questions about the organisation's credibility
By Arion McNicoll Published
-
Hunter Biden hit with federal indictment
A Delaware grand jury has indicted Hunter Biden for three counts of gun-related crimes
By Rafi Schwartz Published