Biden critics of GOP trying to challenge new vaccine requirements in court: “Keep that in mind”

In a visit that highlighted part of his plan to combat the pandemic, Biden addressed criticism from Republicans, including several governors, who said his new plan amounts to over-government and that they plan to challenge it. in the courts. The Republican National Committee has said it plans to sue the administration for the new strict measures.

“Look, I’m so disappointed that particularly some Republican governors have been so gentlemanly with the health of these children, so gentlemanly with the health of their communities,” Biden said.

The president continued, “Here we are really playing. This is not a game and I do not know any scientist in this field who I do not think makes sense to do the six things I do.” I suggested it. “

He lamented the political polarization in the nation, as some Republican governors issued statewide bans on mask mandates and vaccines have become an area of ​​deep division.

“One of the lessons I hope our students will learn is that politics doesn’t have to be this way … They’re growing up in an environment where they see it as a war. Like a bitter dispute. If the Democrat says the right, everyone says it’s the left … It’s not who we are as a nation and it’s not how we overcome all the other crises in our country. We have to come together, “Biden said.

In his statements, Biden expressed empathy for the academic and social anxiety that the pandemic added to the country’s classrooms.

“I want people to know that we will be fine. We know what it takes to protect our children and we have the tools to do that,” he said, reiterating his six-step plan, including provisions for schools, including a vaccine requirement for all students over 12 years of age.

“If schools follow science – and are here – and implement safety measures like vaccinations, testing, masking, children can be safe in schools, outside of Covid-19. My plan does all these things,” he said. Biden.

He stressed that getting vaccinated is safe, easy and convenient and praised Washington Mayor Muriel Boswer for her efforts to bring vaccines to schools.

The president promoted the idea of ​​awards and incentives for vaccination and promised Brookland Middle School students that they could come and visit the White House “to pay a special visit” when they were all vaccinated.

“I’m not sure how we’ll do it mechanically, but I guess buses can take you to the White House, and if we can’t take you all in one room, we’ll be in the Rose Garden Maybe I’ll let you fly the helicopter: just I joke about it, ”he said.

Biden also stressed the risks of not having a vaccine.

“Children are four times more likely to be hospitalized if they live in an area where there are low vaccination rates instead of high vaccination rates,” he said.

According to a new study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more children went to the hospital and emergency room in states with lower vaccination rates. Recently, children’s hospitals have been filling up at Covid-19 hotspots across the country as the Delta variant increases.

Biden on Thursday imposed strict new vaccine rules on federal workers, large employers and health care workers as part of a new push to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

The new requirements could apply to up to 100 million Americans, which is nearly two-thirds of the U.S. workforce. It is Biden’s strongest push to date to require vaccines for much of the country.

Biden has ordered the Department of Labor to require all companies with 100 or more employees to ensure their workers are vaccinated or tested once a week. Companies could face fines of thousands of dollars per employee if they fail to comply.

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