Washington, D.C.-Today, House Energy and Commerce Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Oversight and Reform Committee Republican Leader James Comer sent a letter to the Office of Management and Budget demanding more information on the Administration’s compliance with the President’s sweeping vaccine mandates for Federal employees.
President Biden’s directive required all Federal employees be fully vaccinated by Nov. 22, 2021 - which means each employee was required to receive their requisite doses by November 8, 2021, as explained by the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force. Recent reports suggest a vast majority of Federal employees have only received one dose, which means Biden’s own Administration is out of compliance with his mandate.
While President Biden attempts to mandate vaccines for the private sector, it is imperative this Administration be fully transparent about their own shortcomings.
Excerpts and highlights from the letter :
“On September 9, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14043, which requires ‘COVID-19 vaccination for all Federal employees’ and directed agencies to ‘implement…a program to require COVID-19 vaccination for all its Federal employees, with exceptions only as required by law.’ Executive Order 14043 also directed the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force (Task Force) to ‘issue guidance within 7 days of the date of th[e] order on agency implementation of th[e] requirement for all agencies covered by th[e] order.’ Pursuant to Executive Order 14043, the Task Force guidance requires ‘Federal employees to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 22, 2021.’
“On November 4, 2021, the White House announced two additional vaccine mandates aimed at the private sector: the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s rule requiring ’employers with 100 or more employees’ be fully vaccinated and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ rule requiring all ‘health care workers at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid’ be fully vaccinated. In light of this latest unacceptable Federal overreach, we write to request the Office of Management and Budget provide us with an update on the Administration’s own compliance with the President’s sweeping directive for Federal employees. Accordingly, please survey each Federal agency and respond to the following no later than December 6, 2021:
1. Please provide the percentage of the entire Federal workforce that was fully vaccinated by Nov. 22, 2021.
2. Please provide the percentage of each agency’s workforce that was fully vaccinated by Nov. 22, 2021.
3. Please provide the number of Federal employees that have been granted an exemption from the vaccine mandate.
4. Please provide the number of Federal employees at each agency that have been granted an exemption from the vaccine mandate.
5. Please provide the total number of Federal employees that have been fired or otherwise disciplined for failing to comply with Executive Order 14043 by Nov. 22, 2021.
6. Please provide the number of Federal employees at each agency that have been fired or otherwise disciplined for failing to comply with Executive Order 14043 by Nov. 22, 2021.
7. Please provide the percentage of the entire Federal workforce that continues to work fully remote as of Nov. 22, 2021.
8. Please provide the percentage of each agency’s workforce that continues to work fully remote as of Nov. 22, 2021.
9. Does the Administration have a detailed plan to get the entire Federal workforce back into the office for in-person work?"
