Sarah Bennett
On September 9, 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order requiring federal employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This order applies to White House staff, who are federal employees. However, there has been some confusion and misinformation regarding the mandate, with social media users claiming that White House employees are exempt. This is false, and a White House official has confirmed that staff members are subject to the vaccine requirement. The mandate also applies to employees of the CDC, FDA, and NIAID, which are part of the executive branch.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| White House employees required to be vaccinated | Yes |
| Date of mandate | September 9, 2021 |
| Who issued the mandate | President Joe Biden |
| Who does the mandate apply to | Federal employees and contractors, private employers with 100 or more employees |
| Are there exemptions | Yes, based on disability or religious reasons |
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What You'll Learn
- White House staff are federal employees and are subject to the executive order
- The executive order applies to all federal workers, including those at the CDC
- The Food and Drug Administration is within the Department of Health and Human Services, so its employees are included
- The U.S. Postal Service isn't an executive department, so it's not covered by the executive order
- Employers with 100+ employees must require full vaccination or weekly testing
White House staff are federal employees and are subject to the executive order
On September 9, 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order requiring federal employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This order applies to all federal workers, including those at the White House, which is part of the executive branch. The executive branch includes most federal employees and is covered by the executive order.
White House staff are federal employees and are, therefore, subject to the executive order. A White House official has confirmed that staff members are subject to the vaccine requirement. The executive order requiring vaccination for federal employees cites a statute that includes employees of the CDC and FDA, meaning they are also subject to the mandate.
The executive order does not specify which "exceptions as required by law" must be honored. However, it directs the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force to issue guidance to aid agencies in developing their plans. Exceptions are likely to include individuals who cannot be vaccinated due to disability or sincerely held religious beliefs, as outlined in previous EEOC guidance.
The mandate for federal employees is expected to cover more than 4 million Americans, including over 2 million in the federal civilian workforce. In addition to the mandate for federal employees, President Biden's COVID-19 Action Plan also includes a mandate that employees of large private employers be vaccinated or tested regularly. This plan also includes requirements for large entertainment venues and expanded access to federal financial assistance for businesses.
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The executive order applies to all federal workers, including those at the CDC
On September 9, 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order requiring federal employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This order applies to all federal workers, including those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC is within the Department of Health and Human Services, which is an executive department listed in Title 5. The executive order requiring vaccination for federal employees cites this statute, and so CDC employees are included in the mandate.
The executive order, titled "Executive Order on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees," directs all federal agencies to implement a program to ensure their employees are vaccinated, with exceptions only as required by law. The specific exceptions are not outlined in the order but are likely to include individuals who cannot be vaccinated due to disability or sincerely held religious beliefs. The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force was given seven days to issue guidance to agencies on developing their plans.
The executive order applies to the entire executive branch of the U.S. government, which includes the White House and most federal employees. This means that White House staff, as federal employees, are also subject to the vaccine mandate. However, the judicial and legislative branches are not covered by the executive order, and decisions regarding vaccination or testing mandates are left to individual courts and legislative bodies.
In addition to the federal worker mandate, President Biden's COVID-19 Action Plan also includes mandates for employees of large private employers, federal contractors, and healthcare entities. The Plan directs the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring employers with at least 100 employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or tested weekly. The White House estimates that these mandates will impact over 100 million Americans.
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The Food and Drug Administration is within the Department of Health and Human Services, so its employees are included
On September 9, 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order requiring federal employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This order applies to all federal workers, including those at the White House, which is part of the executive branch.
The executive order encompasses the Executive Branch, which includes the White House and most federal employees. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is within the Department of Health and Human Services, which is listed as an executive department in Title 5. Therefore, the executive order requiring vaccination for federal employees applies to employees of the FDA.
The executive order cites the statute that lists the Department of Health and Human Services as an executive department, so employees of agencies within the department are subject to the mandate. This includes the FDA, which is a part of the executive branch because it is a government agency.
The mandate applies to all federal workers, with exceptions only as required by law. These exceptions are likely to include individuals who cannot be vaccinated due to disability or sincerely held religious beliefs.
The White House expects that the executive order will apply to over 4 million Americans, including over 2 million in the federal civilian workforce throughout the United States and around the world.
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The U.S. Postal Service isn't an executive department, so it's not covered by the executive order
On September 9, 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order requiring federal employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This order applies to all federal workers, including those at the CDC, FDA, and NIAID, as these agencies are part of the executive branch and are government agencies.
However, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is not considered an executive department and is therefore not covered by the executive order. This means that USPS employees are not mandated by the federal government to be vaccinated.
That being said, the USPS does fall under the jurisdiction of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which has the authority to set workplace safety standards for the postal service. OSHA has been working on an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that will require employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or tested weekly for COVID-19. As the USPS has more than 100 employees, it will likely be required to comply with this standard.
Furthermore, individual courts within the USPS may choose to impose their own vaccine mandates, as has been the case in other federal agencies such as the CDC and FDA, where some courts have mandated vaccines while others have not.
While the U.S. Postal Service is not directly covered by the executive order, it is still subject to other regulations and standards that may require its employees to be vaccinated or regularly tested.
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Employers with 100+ employees must require full vaccination or weekly testing
On September 9, 2021, President Biden announced a new COVID-19 Action Plan, which included mandates that employees working for large private employers must be vaccinated against COVID-19. This mandate applies to employers with 100 or more employees, requiring their workforce to be fully vaccinated or be subjected to weekly COVID-19 testing before coming into work. The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is responsible for formulating and enforcing this rule, which is expected to apply to over 80 million private sector workers.
OSHA will have the authority to fine non-compliant businesses up to $14,000 per violation. Additionally, employers must provide paid time off for workers to get vaccinated and recover from any side effects. This mandate is part of a broader set of measures announced by the White House to combat the pandemic and the contagious Delta variant, impacting employers and federal contractors.
It is important to note that this mandate does not apply to the legislative or judicial branches of the government. However, it does encompass the Executive Branch, which includes the White House and most federal employees. The mandate specifically applies to employees at the White House, CDC, FDA, and NIAID, as these agencies are within the Executive Branch.
The White House has indicated that while disability or religious exemptions may be approved on a restricted basis, workers who do not qualify for such exemptions will be required to get vaccinated. These mandates apply based on employment status and do not differentiate between citizens and non-citizens. The specific wording and implementation details of the standard are yet to be finalized, and the impact on employers will be carefully monitored.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, White House staff are federal employees and are subject to the executive order that mandates COVID-19 vaccination for all federal employees.
Yes, exceptions are made for individuals who cannot be vaccinated due to a disability or sincerely held religious belief.
Employees who are not vaccinated are required to wear masks, socially distance, and undergo regular testing.
The mandate applies to all federal agencies and contractors. It also applies to private employers with more than 100 employees, who must ensure their employees are vaccinated or tested weekly.
