OPM says vaccine mandate for federal workers can be enforced next month

Joseph Choi
The Hill
Sun, 03 Oct 2021 08:02 UTC

© tripwire.com

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) said in a memo issued Friday that President Biden's vaccine mandate for federal employees can be enforced beginning on Nov. 9 for employees who have not yet been inoculated.

In the memo from Director Kiran Ahuja, OPM advised against waiting to the last minute to get vaccinated as

"other events often interfere with even well-laid plans. Employees who refuse to be vaccinated or provide proof of vaccination are subject to disciplinary measures, up to and including removal or termination from Federal service. The only exception is for individuals who receive a legally required exception pursuant to established agency processes."

Federal agencies were advised to require their employees to get fully vaccinated by Nov. 22, with their second dose of a vaccine to be received "no later than November 8." The Nov. 8 deadline also applies to getting a dose of Johnson & Johnson's one-dose COVID-19 vaccine. Ahuja added:

"Given this timeline, agencies may initiate the enforcement process as soon as November 9, 2021, for employees who have not completed their vaccination dose(s) by November 8."

Last month, Biden issued an executive order requiring that federal employees get vaccinated against COVID-19:

"The health and safety of the Federal workforce, and the health and safety of members of the public with whom they interact, are foundational to the efficiency of the civil service. I have determined that ensuring the health and safety of the Federal workforce and the efficiency of the civil service requires immediate action to protect the Federal workforce and individuals interacting with the Federal workforce."

Comment: Saving one's body and ditching the job - if done en masse - not only sends a message, it requires a major adjustment to all federal entities engaged in this mass manipulation.

The White House in July explicitly stated that coronavirus vaccine mandates are "not the role of the federal government" — an admission made months before President Biden announced federal vaccine mandates he was imposing on private businesses.

During a divisive speech in September, the commander-in-chief scolded the unvaccinated while announcing his decision to instruct the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop a rule forcing private businesses with over 100 employees to mandate the vaccine or implement weekly testing requirements.

Weeks ago, Biden asserted there is only a "small percentage" of Americans who oppose vaccine mandates. "There's a positive support for mandates - by and large," Biden told reporters. "There's always going to be a small percentage that say no."

The Biden administration has become more emboldened in its public support of mandates. On Tuesday, Biden's chief of staff, Ron Klain, essentially praised New York's vaccine mandate for healthcare workers after preliminary reports suggested it forced more to get the jab.

Notably, Biden's administration has been unable to provide a timeline of when to expect OSHA's rule, despite the fact that he made the announcement more than three weeks ago.

"Not the role of the federal government!" How quickly Biden forgets.

See also: Biden to announce vaccine requirement for all federal workers