WASHINGTON, D.C. – A federal judge on has blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in 10 states, including Nebraska.
Judge Matthew Schelp of the Eastern District of Missouri issued a preliminary injunction for workers at Medicare and Medicaid certified medical facilities in Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Wyoming, and North and South Dakota, according court documents.
The 10 states had sued the Biden administration, based on the vaccine mandate being unconstitutional.
In issuing the ruling, Judge Schelp stated that the public would benefit from the ruling “because it would ensure that federal agencies do not extend their power beyond the express delegation from Congress.” He further stated that the mandate would impose a burden “on the ability of healthcare facilities to provide proper care, and thus, save lives.”
The news on Monday was another push-back on the administration’s desire to mandate vaccinations following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Biden, and the executive branch, have implemented vaccine requirements at different governmental levels including military personnel. A mandate requiring OSHA – the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to require workers at companies with 100 or more employees to get vaccinated has now been halted.
The administrations requirement halted Monday would have affected 17 million workers at 76,000 healthcare facilities nationwide.
It is estimated by the CDC that nationally, 59% of Americans are fully vaccinated and 70% have received at least one dose of vaccine following the Covid-19 pandemic
