The Former Vice President Joe Biden, who had earlier this year fallen up the stairs to Air Force One, is expected to mandate all employees of the Federal Government, as well as contractors, to be fully vaccinated.
This tough stance on vaccination is expected to be revealed Thursday. In addition, the President (who at one time had told a story of children touching his leg hair) is also expected to pressure businesses to mandate employees to be vaccinated.
Among the steps that the President will take is signing an executive order requiring all federal workers to be vaccinated, with no option of being regularly tested to opt out of the requirement, according to a source familiar with the plans.
The President will also sign an executive order directing that same standard be extended to employees of contractors who do business with the federal government. The Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Indian Health Service and National Institute of Health will also complete their previously announced vaccination requirements, which the White House estimates covers 2.5 million people.
When asked what exactly the President is going to reveal on Thursday, Jen Psaki said, “There are — there are six new — there are six steps the President is announcing. There will be new components, as I noted and you noted. Some of that will be related to access to testing. Some will be related to mandates. Some will be related to how we ensure kids are protected in schools. And we’ll have more — we’ll preview more tomorrow as all the pieces are finalized. But there will be new components that, sure, will of course impact people across the country. But we’re also all working together to get the virus under control, to return to our normal lives. And I know many people, I’m sure, are looking forward to hearing what the President has to say.”
