A reporter for The Washington Post walked back and clarified a claim on Thursday night that postal workers were exempt from President Joe Biden’s executive order mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for all federal workers and contractors.
“JUST IN: White House official now says USPS workers ARE part of the federal vaccine mandate order under OSHA jurisdiction, though technically not under the executive order,” Washington Post reporter Jacob Bogage tweeted.
“Deleting a previous thread that was based on earlier reporting,” he announced. “Will also momentarily update our writeup.”
The federal vaccine mandate affects approximately 650,000 USPS workers and many are very unhappy with that development. Lawsuits are already being organized on the constitutionality of the executive order and federal mandate.
JUST IN: White House official now says USPS workers ARE part of the federal vaccine mandate under OSHA jurisdiction, though technically not under the executive order.
Deleting a previous thread that was based on earlier reporting. Will also momentarily update our write-up. pic.twitter.com/8ydESDhMeE
— Jacob Bogage (@jacobbogage) September 10, 2021
Prior to the correction, the Washington Post and a slew of media outlets had reported that postal employees were exempt from the executive order but were “strongly encouraged” to comply with Biden’s mandate and get vaccinated. The Post cited information from an anonymous White House official.
The Washington Post story originally mentioned the American Postal Workers Union which represents postal employees and came out in July against vaccine mandates. At the time, they asserted, “While the APWU leadership continues to encourage postal workers to voluntarily get vaccinated, it is not the role of the federal government to mandate vaccinations for the employees we represent.”
Biden was endorsed by the postal union during the 2020 presidential race.
(Video Credit: WLWT)
“This is stunning,” Bogage originally tweeted in response to the presumed exemption of U.S. postal workers according to the Washington Times.
“One of the things we’ve learned during the pandemic is [that] the Postal Service is a key part of national infrastructure & homeland security. We’ve seen what’s happened to service when there have been pandemic-related staffing shortages. But USPS workers are exempt,” he noted.
Bogage also stated before deleting a number of tweets that “OSHA will fine businesses with 100 employees or more $14k per vaccine/testing violation. But the US Postal Service, a Goliath of [a] federal agency, is exempt.”
Chief National Affairs correspondent for CNN Jeff Zeleny tweeted the correction also: “Postal Service workers are not subjected to federal mandate, but fall under the Labor Department rule announced by President Biden aimed at businesses with more than 100 employees, a senior administration official tells CNN, with employees required to vaccinate or test weekly.”
Postal Service workers are not subjected to federal mandate, but fall under the Labor Department rule announced by President Biden aimed at businesses with more than 100 employees, a senior administration official tells CNN, with employees required to vaccinate or test weekly.
— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) September 10, 2021
Biden’s COVID-19 Action Plan states:
“The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is developing a rule that will require all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require any workers who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before coming to work. OSHA will issue an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to implement this requirement. This requirement will impact over 80 million workers in private sector businesses with 100+ employees.”
The confusion arose from the fact that the USPS operates outside the executive branch and therefore is not subject to presidential orders that would normally apply to government employees unless they are specifically mentioned in the order.
The president also announced he is calling on state governors to mandate coronavirus vaccinations for all teachers and school employees.
“Vaccination requirements for schools are nothing new,” Biden asserted. “They work. They’re overwhelmingly supported by educators and their unions.”
Many Republicans and a number of legal experts believe the mandate is unconstitutional.
“This is absolutely unconstitutional. The expansive rules mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans.,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) adamantly stated in a tweet.
“Mandates are not the answer,” Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL) tweeted. “Getting the vaccine should be up to you and your doctor — not the federal government.”
“All 9 million federal employees should consult with their doctor and make a personal, informed decision about taking the vaccine,” proclaimed Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) on Twitter. “Instead, Sleepy Joe says take it or else… You don’t lead by coercion. Biden has failed as a leader in every way.”
“This is unconstitutional,” said Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL). “The U.S. Constitution does not give the President this type of authority. No where in Article 2 of the Constitution will you find anything that even remotely gives the President this kind of power.”
There was an intense reaction on social media concerning Biden’s vaccine mandate:
My legal team is standing by ready to file our lawsuit the minute @joebiden files his unconstitutional rule. This gross example of federal intrusion will not stand.
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) September 9, 2021
This is blatantly unconstitutional!
The decision to get vaccinated lies between you and your doctor – NOT the federal government.
We must fight back against medical tyranny that dangerously violates Americans' individual freedoms. https://t.co/uGBfPZCGfT
— Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) September 9, 2021
The president's action crosses the line. I believe in the vaccine, but I also believe in a limited federal government. Effectively, this is a national vaccine mandate. Our federal government has never done this before, and it should not do so now.
— Rep. Dusty Johnson (@RepDustyJohnson) September 9, 2021
The Daily Wire has well over 100 employees. We will not enforce Joe Biden's unconstitutional and tyrannical vaccine mandate. We will use every tool at our disposal, including legal action, to resist this overreach.
More to come @realDailyWire.
— Jeremy Boreing (@JeremyDBoreing) September 9, 2021
How does Biden has authority to decree that businesses with over 100 employees mandate vaccines?
— Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) September 9, 2021
I don’t need to comply with Biden’s vaccine mandate obviously.
And if I employed over 100 people, I still wouldn’t comply.
What my employees do to their bodies on their own time is none of my business.— Steven Crowder (@scrowder) September 9, 2021
If you want the vaccine great. Don’t want it for whatever reason? Fine and none of my business. Vaccines are supposed to protect the vaccinated. Biden’s mandate is outrageous.
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) September 9, 2021
Joe Biden is a tyrant. Pass it on. #VaccineMandate
— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) September 9, 2021
Joe Biden’s COVID vaccine mandate completely ignores the science and is an attack on Americans’ right to privacy.
The feds have NO AUTHORITY to force employers make their employees get vaccinated.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 10, 2021
The people who spent four years calling Donald Trump an 'authoritarian tyrant' will be silent today when Biden announces a vaccine mandate for tens of thousands of people without exception.
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) September 9, 2021
Remember the time that President Trump mandated millions of Americans to inject their bodies or be forced into unemployment?
Never mind.
That was Joe Biden & this is the biggest authoritarian, dictatorial power-grab our nation has seen. #VaccineMandate
— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) September 9, 2021
🚨🚨 My Statement on Biden’s Authoritarian and Unconstitutional Vaccine Mandate 🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/F7JdEmEg8r
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) September 9, 2021
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