Labor Secretary Marty Walsh says President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for businesses with more than 100 employees is meant to create a “safe workspace.”
Walsh was asked during an interview with MSNBC how the administration is going to respond to a ruling that suspended the mandate.
“The most important thing about the emergency temporary standard is that we get Americans vaccinated,” Walsh said.
He suggested if there was no pandemic “we might not be talking about job openings, we might not be talking about inflation, and what the pandemic has done to the American public and the American people and American workforce is quite honestly dangerous.”
Walsh continued, “We want to make sure that we get people that go to work in a safe environment where they know that their colleagues are either vaccinated or being tested on a weekly basis. This is not about being burdensome to businesses, this is about protecting and having a safe workspace for employees.”
When he asked if he believes the administration will be successful in appealing the decision, Walsh responded, “If I knew that, I’d be in a different job so we’ll see. We’ll take it a step at a time.”
Check out the video below:
WATCH: Labor Secretary Marty Walsh defends Pres. Biden’s vaccine mandate after it was temporarily blocked by a federal appeals court. @SecMartyWalsh: “This is not about being burdensome to businesses, this is about protecting and having a safe workspace for employees.” pic.twitter.com/HnUfDzqGRk
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) November 12, 2021
Over the weekend, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a ruling that temporarily halted the rule, as IJR reported.
“Because the petitions give cause to believe there are grave statutory and constitutional issues with the Mandate, the Mandate is hereby STAYED pending further action by this court,” the ruling states.
On Monday, the White House encouraged companies to get their employees vaccinated despite lawsuits challenging the rule.
“We think people should not wait,” White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing.
She added, “We say do not wait to take actions that will keep your workplace safe. It is important and critical to do, and waiting to get more people vaccinated will lead to more outbreaks and sickness.”
