Conservatives rejoiced after the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected President Biden’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) vaccine mandate affecting over 84 million American workers, deeming it a “win for the Constitution.”
In a 6-3 decision, the Court blocked Biden’s OSHA vaccine mandate, which would have required employers with 100 or more employees to either mandate the vaccine or implement rigorous testing requirements. Notably, under OSHA’s rule, the burden of the cost of testing would remain on the employee, effectively amounting to a work tax. However, the court upheld the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) vaccine mandate 5-4, although it explicitly acknowledged that the CMS mandate exempts employees who object to the vaccine for religious or medical reasons.
Conservatives celebrated the OSHA ruling, particularly, following the verdict.
Ambassador Ken Blackwell, who is now a senior fellow at the Family Research Council, celebrated the OSHA decision, calling it a “constitutional smack-down of Biden’s imperial power grab.” He criticized the CMS decision, but added, “Most people who object to the vaccine do so for religious or medical reasons, so the Supreme Court’s affirming that those people are exempt from the CMS mandate is a silver lining here.”
“It took the Supreme Court to set the record straight for the Biden Administration,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said following the ruling, deeming it a “win for the Constitution.”
“It’s also a win for personal liberties and our economy, which has been ravaged by Joe Biden’s inflation and supply chain crises,” he said:
“The Supreme Court just BLOCKED the Biden admin’s heavy-handed attempt to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine on private employers,” Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) said.
“They agree—The Biden administration has gone too far and it’s time for them to stop,” he declared:
Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) deemed the Court’s OSHA ruling a “BIG win for small businesses, workers and freedom,” although he expressed disappointment in the CMS verdict:
“Today’s Supreme Court ruling sends a clear message: Biden is not a king & his gross overreaches of federal power will not be tolerated,” Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said in reaction to the news.
“I had COVID & got the vaccine, but I will NEVER support a vaccine mandate that bullies hardworking Americans & kills jobs,” he added:
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) also celebrated the Court’s OSHA decision and promised to “keep fighting for our healthcare heroes who were ignored today.”
“You continue to SAVE LIVES. We won’t give up!” he exclaimed:
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) also deemed the OSHA ruling a “huge win for freedom,” as others — both politicians and political figures — offered similar sentiments:
Biden released a statement after the ruling, expressing disappointment in the Court’s decision to block the OSHA mandate, deeming the requirements a “very modest burden.” However, he celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the CMS mandate:
As a result of the Court’s decision, it is now up to States and individual employers to determine whether to make their workplaces as safe as possible for employees, and whether their businesses will be safe for consumers during this pandemic by requiring employees to take the simple and effective step of getting vaccinated.
“The Court has ruled that my administration cannot use the authority granted to it by Congress to require this measure, but that does not stop me from using my voice as President to advocate for employers to do the right thing to protect Americans’ health and economy,” he added, calling on businesses to “immediately join those who have already stepped up – including one third of Fortune 100 companies – and institute vaccination requirements to protect their workers, customers, and communities.”
The applications are NFIB v. OSHA, No. 21A244 at the Supreme Court of the United States, and Biden v. Missouri, No. 21A240 in the Supreme Court of the United States.
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