US District Court for the Southern District of Georgia halts Biden mandate for federal contractors nationwide, Associated Builders and Contractors, et al v OSHA
US District Court for the Southern District of Georgia halts Biden mandate for federal contractors nationwide, Associated Builders and Contractors, et al v OSHA
From CNBC.
“U.S. court temporarily halts Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors nationwide
A U.S. district court in Georgia halted the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors on Tuesday, writing that the president likely exceeded his authority.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia said the Associated Builders and Contractors, a trade group that represents the construction industry, are likely correct that President Joe Biden exceeded his authority under the Procurement Act when he issued the mandate.
“In its practical application, it operates as a regulation of public health,” District Judge R. Stan Baker wrote in the order. “It will also have a major impact on the economy at large, as it limits contractors’ and members of the workforce’s ability to perform work on federal contracts. Accordingly, it appears to have vast economic and political significance,” Baker wrote.
The court said the mandate is “costly, laborious and likely to result in a reduction in available members of the workforce.”
Biden issued an executive order on Sept. 9 requiring contractors to ensure their workers are vaccinated against Covid and follow masking and social distancing policies. The White House originally gave contractors until Dec. 8 to comply but later pushed back the deadline until Jan. 4. The requirements cover millions of workers across the U.S. economy.
The court told the Biden administration to halt enforcement of the mandate “in all covered contracts in any state or territory of the United States of America.” The court’s decision to issue a nationwide injunction comes a week after another federal district court in Kentucky halted enforcement in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee.”